The Pole
by quinnley1
Summary: Sequel to "The Request". D/T shipper, in a way I've never seen before. If you get mad over OOC, don't read. Lemonish, so beware. **FINISHED ON 4/15/10**
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the show Daria or any of it's characters. They are the sole property of the copyright holders. I am not making any money from this story, and no infringement is intended.

*Author's Note*:

Rated M for language, alcohol consumption, references to drug use, and adult themes and situations. Tint of lemon (hey, I'd write more of it if I could but I'm better at 'doing' rather than 'writing' about it). I'd say this is probably a case of raging OOC to boot.

This is the sequel to my story called The Request". The events of this story take place in May, about 6 months after the epilogue of "The Request". Daria is just finishing her last month of her sophomore year at Raft. Anything written in _italics_ is the unspoken thought of the character. I will toss in a chapter or two that is not from the main character's POV, but I'll designate when I switch.

Oh boy, you die-hard purists of cannon Daria are going to be pissed at me after this story, lol. Just understand that this is all make-believe people, and I wrote it off of a challenge that a friend of mine came up with in the real-world. The challenge was this: Take your favorite character from anything. Write a story about how they end up doing something that, if you were to stay absolutely true to that character, they would NEVER do. I'd tell you the other parts of the challenge, but it would give too much away and I'm a lady of mystery. Anyway I wrote this story first in my series, and it inspired me to write part Number 3 and then part Number 1. Going through and editing this one and the thrid story again, I might do a forth part that would be about a side story involving Jane. We'll see if the muse stays with me. Hope you enjoy!

**The Pole**

**May 21****st****, 7:30 PM**

"$950, $970, $1,020 … Trix, is this it?" I huffed after counting out the cash in the "Rent Only" jar.

"Yeah, sorry D but I had to make a school payment this month for next year," my sullen roommate stated. "Besides I paid more than my share last month, remember? You said you could make it up to me this month."

"Damnit, I did say that didn't I? Curse you and your ability to remember things I say when you are drunk."

This wasn't the first time that we had come up short in the rent department. Usually our landlord was nice and we could typically beg a few days grace on the huge rent we paid per month for this tiny two-bedroom apartment. It was expensive to live off-campus in Boston while we're both attending Raft, but there was no way either of us could bring ourselves to live in the hell-hole called the dorms ever again. Too bad that this time, we were already late and apparently about $300 dollars short.

"Well, you don't have anything stashed away, do you?"

"Nope, the Montana Cabin Fund dried up last year when my scholarships proved to only pay for my classes. Apparently things like food, rent, and textbooks are not crucial to the college experience."

"Montana what fund? Daria, what the hell is that?" the slight but intimidating woman asked. Tracy was the same age as me at 19, and amazingly even shorter than my 5'2" with a dyed red Mia Farrow cut. Despite being diminutive there was something very threatening about her presence; I had originally thought it was a front since this girl was always so placid towards me. Yet I learned quickly however that this girl could be down-right volatile towards people she didn't like, highlighted by the instances when people didn't get her name right. She preferred to be called Trix and woe onto those who didn't call her that. It was their lucky day if all she responded with was a punch to the nose. It was a good thing she decided to like me for not being intimidated by her, and we became friends during our freshman year. This year, we decided to become roommates and see how things went.

"Never mind, just an old joke. I think I know what I've got to go do to scrounge up the fast cash; I'm just completely tapped until payday and I'll need food and bus money too. I'll try borrowing from Jane first, but if that doesn't work I guess I better go call the club and see if they have any spots they need to fill tonight or tomorrow."

_No one would ever guess after looking at me, I'm so plain_ I thought to myself as I looked down and laughed inwardly.

Sure I had changed my look slightly, but I think I still looked just like my old self. Big round glasses were still the norm but they had newer, thinner frames. If given the choice makeup was still out of the question. The only real changes had been my hair and clothes. The green military jacket, burnt orange T-shirt, and black pleated skirt still made their appearances; yet they had been joined by other pieces recently in styles and colors that still kept close to my darker tastes. You can't be too picky when your freezing your ass off in the snow and have to shop at thrift stores after all. Everything, well almost everything, I wore was still modest but now showed off my figure more. These days I kept my hair a little shorter, and I have it cut with a razor to give it a more ragged and wispy look but if you saw me from a distance you may not even notice that there was a change at all from my high school hair. I still had my go-to old combat boots, but I rotate them with a pair of green Chucks and another pair of dark red 16-hole boots (for special occasions).

"Hey, I found another fiver in my jacket pocket! We have enough Top Ramen to last us until payday, right?" Trix asked, bringing me out of my personal appearance evaluation.

"Nope, not unless you want to start hunting for rats outside to add to my dad's recipe for Kitchen Sink Stew to tide us over. I better go see Jane and see if she can help. If she can't, then I need to come home and wax fast so that I'm 'presentable'."


	2. Chapter 2

**May 21****st****, 9:03 PM**

"Yo, amiga, come on in." Jane greeted me as she stepped aside.

Jane had not yet come up with the cash flow needed to move off of campus but thankfully she had weaseled her way into getting a single suite-type room. Despite the word 'suite', this room looked much like the one back in Lawndale had only much smaller. There was the messy bed serving as the couch, the bed, the dining table, and the chair to her work desk up against the far wall. In the kitchenette there had no stove but it had one kick-ass hotplate, and then that tiny closet of a room that the college laughingly called the bathroom. Every inch of the place though had "Jane!" written all over it; in some cases literally such as that spot on the wall near the door where she had written "Jane's Cell, watch out for the arts-n-crafts shanks!"

"Hay Jane … oh holy shit what the hell is that smell?" I yelled as I stumbled back, being slapped by something horrible in the air of her room.

"Hehe, yeah um, would you believe a biology experiment gone horribly awry that has come to life and is now out to kill us all?"

My only response was a blank face and a clinching of my nose.

"Alright you got me, one of the guys I was seeing left a sandwich or something out last week but I can't figure out where."

"Can't figure out? Or haven't bothered to look?" I stated dryly as I pointed to something green and fuzzy poking out from under a pile of art magazines in the corner near the bed. "Oh and which guy? If I have to meet him in the future I'll thank him for my nose never functioning the same way ever again."

_A few weeks ago didn't she mention something about having two guys she was seeing, and had just met possible prospect Number Three? I guess I still need to loosen up more; I'm still too unapproachable while here she is beating them off with a stick …_

"It was the Coffee Shop Poser, or guy Number One. After I met Chris, guy Number Three, I sort felt the need to break it off with the other two. I asked Number One here to tell him, and he brought me a sandwich. I told him we had fun but I didn't want to see him anymore and in the heat of the moment I guess he must have thrown it but I didn't pay attention." Jane bent down to collect the offending sandwich and tossed it in the garbage, making sure to tie off the bag.

"Wow, one of the three men you were seeing was considerate enough to bring this starving artist food. What a bastard, good thing you tossed him out before he could do more damage like help you clean your bathroom."

"I know right," laughed Jane, "it was awful and hand-made with affection and everything. What can I say; jerks just do it for me."

"Hey now, never call any of your current boyfriends 'jerks'. I just might be their next girlfriend after all," I said with a false hurt in my voice as I flopped down on the bed. Jane shot me a playful dirty look as I continued, "What's so special about this Chris guy that you are cutting yourself off from all of the others vying for your attention?"

Jane washed her hands and thought for a minute. "Well aside from the fact that he is an unpretentious artist, down-to-earth, sweet but not sappy, twisted but not crazy, and has enough of my interests to have a decent conversation but is different enough from me to keep introducing new things into my life to keep it fresh there's also his …" she paused and held her pointer fingers on both hands about 10 inches away from the each other and smiled a huge shit-eating grin, "… paintbrush. It's the most …"

I quickly cut her off with a groan.

"Jane, you just met this guy. Why are you already so familiar with his 'paintbrush'? Scratch that, I don't want to know," I let out a deep sigh before tossing in my jealousy, " and why are you so cruel as to describe the best meal of your life to someone who is starving?"

"Sorry, it has been a while for you, huh?" Jane stated with a lowered brow and a sad smile.

We both fell silent for a bit as we simultaneously remembered the one guy I have ever really had a relationship with, and has the distinct title of being the ex-boyfriend of both of us. I had waffled on the idea of having sex with Tom for a while before the breakup, but a few weeks into my first quarter at college last year I had become desperately lonely. No Jane, a roommate that I hated, nothing familiar, and I knew I was in trouble when I began to earnestly miss my family. Even Quinn. I drove hours to meet up with Tom to ease my need for a recognizable face and ended up in his bed for one weekend before I realized it was a huge mistake. Since him, there had been only one other guy about 4 months ago but that relationship was so short that it didn't warrant even remembering his name. At least he had taught me a few things before he flew back out of my life.

Then, there was Trent. Really more of a friendship than a relationship per say. It had started out as just a whole lot of unrequited love/lust/whatever on my end. Yet in my inexperienced teenage fantasies of him, it sure did feel like my first relationship. Over this past year we had become just as close as I was with his sister while I helped Mystik Spiral develop their songs into something listenable, but I didn't read as much into our new level of closeness as Jane did.

_I can't unlock that part of myself. I know that I spent too much wasted time as a kid pining after him. I read too much into his every interaction with me and turned even the most benign conversations into his covert declarations that he felt the same way. _

I had told Jane, and myself, over and over again that I no longer had any of those feelings for him. Yet I always found myself listening too intently when Jane's discussions turned to her brother. I was usually always up for going to a Mystik Spiral gig if they were playing anywhere within an hour's drive unless work got in the way. When Trent asked for my help in writing Mystik Spiral songs last year, I gave in too quickly and kept at it for months even though it really messed me up with my school work. When he rang me up to talk, I always had time to take that phone call even if I was really busy with something else.

_Yep, I am completely over Trent. So much so that I have to keep telling myself that just to make sure._

"Yeah, I don't have time for any type of relationship now anyway. Between work, school, and taking care of myself there isn't time to get to know someone new. Actually, now that I mentioned work, that reminds me that I came here on a mission tonight."

"Don't tell me, your bosses back at HQ have finally asked you to assassinate me because now after years of friendship I know too much?"

"If only that were the case Jane, if only." I took a big breath and dove into my begging, "I'm low on the rent and Trix and I are late. I really wanted to check with you to see if I could borrow some cash until I get my check from work, rather than try the club this time."

"Sorry but I'm cleaned out right now too. Nothing has been selling for a while and the gallery cut back on my hours. Seems like you are going to have to go for the alternative this time and hope for the best at the club."

Admitting defeat, I pulled out my cell phone and called up the manager of the strip club. He said that the lineup tonight was finalized, but that there was some sets open tomorrow night. After affirming that I would take them I said good bye, hung up with a slam, and leaned back on the bed in resignation.

Jane stared at me for a while, then laughed quietly as she shook her head in disbelief.

"I still can't believe that you've stripped, and that you're going to go again. You, miss rigid morals with your anti-social personality who hates to be the center of attention, has gotten up on a stage and danced your clothes off for cash. Hell, I never saw you without you jacket on for months after I met you, even in the privacy of your own room! We should have "Sick, Sad World" come around and investigate possible mind-control implants or soul switching."

Jane was right. It was shocking to think that I, the "Misery Chick", who used to use clothes and a stand-offish personality to keep the world at arm's length, have dabbled in exotic dancing. It was innocent to start (well, as innocent as anything I can be involved in can be), being asked to accompany a friend there who was applying for the bartender job. I had noticed the large amount of cash being tossed around and was at first disgusted. Then one of the girls talked to me as I waited for my friend Emily and that dancer's perspective of "A fool and his money are soon parted, why not take as much of it with as little effort as possible" made me think it wasn't all one-sided exploitation.

"Hey, you sell your paintings right? Didn't you say once that each one is a piece of your soul? I'm not selling my soul when I dance, just the privilege to look upon my visage," I spat out in an acerbic manner. "Besides, the term 'soul switching' implies that I have one when you know damn well I sold it for a pizza long ago."

"Whoa there executioner, don't swing that axe just yet. I'm not saying it's a bad thing; you did what you thought you needed to do to get by. It shows you are human after all, and can have your opinions swayed by practicality. I just meant that you were probably the last person I ever thought would try this out. Oh, and do you know that you sorta rhymed there for a minute? That phrase "Just the privilege/ To look upon my visage" sounds like another bad line from an old Spiral song. Have you been listening to their demo CDs on repeat again?"

"No, and I only did that when Trent was asking for my help fine-tuning some of their older stuff and some songs that he had been working out on his own again. Trix made me stop after her ears started to bleed and I was glad for the rest from the witty prose myself," I chuckled. "By the way, how is the group doing? I haven't paid attention to their website in a while and I couldn't take the time off to see and of their gigs for the past few months. I would ask Trent, but I don't want him to think I'm on his case about it."

"The band as a whole is doing well I guess. They are booking a lot more clubs, attracting a larger cult following, and have actually sold some of those home-burned albums at the shows. Max is taking anger management classes to deal with that problem finally while Nick is out of rehab at last and has been neurotically chewing my ear off about the pros and cons of changing his hair color yet again, and if so which one?"

"Maybe you should give him Quinn's number, get him out of your hair for a while."

"I wouldn't even wish this torture on her Daria. Oh and you know that Jesse got engaged; they set the date for this July. It's going to be just a casual backyard thing, and he just reminded me this last weekend to let you know that both of us silent members of the band are expected to be in attendance."

"How he managed to have a conversation with anyone long enough to establish a relationship I'll never know. It will forever be one of the great mysteries, and I'd love to come. Can't wait to see if he replies with anything but 'yeah' and 'cool' during the ceremony, so let them know I'll be there."

"Now for the topic we've all been waiting for: Trent is also exhibiting some tell-tale signs of soul-switching. Sure you two didn't have an encounter of some sort while you were 'working' together? He wakes up at a decent hour, makes sure to be on time, practices while awake, works hard to develop his songs beyond the crap he normally comes up with, and is starting to focus more on the business side of the industry. In short: it's weird. I guess he is taking the whole band thing more seriously now that Jesse is getting married. I think he's worried she'll try and get Jesse to quit and get a job if he can't help the band make more money with some success. Or maybe he's trying to impress a certain someone …"

I felt myself bristle at Jane's hints and implications. I really didn't want to get into the same argument about my feelings or lack thereof for Trent right now. "Yeah, April and Jesse getting serios was bothing him last year too. He talked about it a lot."

"Did you try and comfort him at all?" Jane asked sweetly as she batted her eyelids up to the ceiling.

"I'll comfort you Lane. Here, I fluffed a nice soft pillow for you, let me hold it over your face for a while," I stated before getting nervous and completely switching topics, "you know this isn't my proudest moment. But I like not having to depend on my parents, the scholarship, or a boyfriend to pay my way. Just please tell me that you have kept my promise and not told anyone?"

Jane looked right into my eyes. Wordlessly, I could see that she knew exactly who I was asking her not to tell. "I haven't told anyone and I won't say a word. It's not like I talk to anyone from Lawndale …," she cut herself off and shrugged. We talked for another hour before I had to take off to catch the last bus.

"See ya Jane," I said as I got up from my spot and stretched, "sorry I can't stay, but I need to get some things done before tomorrow night. You don't mind, right?"

"Naw, just go and leave me like they all do," exclaimed Jane with a hand raised to her face in mock pain, "I need to make a phone call anyway."

"Need to call a guy the second I leave? Do I really inspire you to become that hard up Jane?" I leered at her as best as I could.

"That's enough of the lesbian insinuations. Didn't we get enough of that in high school?"

"Well you didn't help matters by following me to Boston you know."

"Enough banter, you're going to miss the last bus of the night and after those hints I'm not so sure I want you staying the night right now," Jane said as she finally broke and grinned.

"Jane, there is no such thing as 'enough banter' and you know it."


	3. Chapter 3

**May 21st, 10:58 PM**

The walk back to the bus stop after saying good night to Jane was a lonely one. Normally, I would have spent the night with her but the smell of that putrid sandwich had lingered in the room and was making me nauseous. Or maybe it was nerves for tomorrow night. Either way, I needed to get home before it got too late to wax my bikini line.

_Yes_, _because there isn't enough pain in my life caused by the dazzling idiocy that I'm surrounded by on a daily basis. Let's pull out those pubes by the roots in one of the most sensitive areas of the body to add the whipped cream on this sundae._

I had forgotten to bring a book to read during my ride on the bus, so while I was sitting there waiting for my stop my mind began to wander back to how I got mixed up in this to begin with. It was a short time after my friend Emily got the bartending job at the strip club; the moron of a manager at the book store where I work completely screwed up the monthly work schedule and I needed to get enough cash to make it through till next month. I asked Emily for help getting a waitressing job at the club. It was a surprising amount of tips that kept me coming back, despite the skimpy outfit I was required to wear. After two months, I found myself getting desensitized to the nudity and growing envious of the huge bags of bills the dancers took off the stage.

_I should have quit then. When seeing naked people gyrating inches from someone else's face doesn't faze you there's a problem._

One day, I found myself in desperate need for a large amount of money or else I would have to choose between paying for my textbooks and eating. It was the first and only time I had really mishandled my money, and for a Trent-related incident no less. I decided that the side waitressing job wasn't enough, so I asked the manager to let me dance for one night. With my need to justify everything, I even managed to convince myself that stripping would be a great thesis study for my Study of Modern Society class. I felt awkward and boring compared to the other dancers and was sure that it would be a waste of time since I wouldn't get any attention. It was terrifying, but worth it. I didn't really know what to do once I got up there and in my lame attempts to 'dance' I tripped a few times, but by the end of the night I had $200 plus in cash. I made in that one night the more than I would have in a week at my normal part-time job.

_I got a paper out of it and was able to afford to eat, but I went running back to the day job. I never thought I'd do it again, but then just one month later I needed a new prescription for my glasses and I had no way to pay for the new pair. I could not have handled wearing that one pair of contacts all the time, it felt like my eyes were going to pop out of my head in protest and I kinda need those to stay where they are for now._

It seemed like there was a cash flow problem every month after that. Becoming an adult and taking care of myself just kept getting more and more expensive and with the workload I took on for school I couldn't ask for more hours at the book store. Stripping then became a safety net, and I had turned to it once or twice a month since that first time six months ago. Since I was planning on staying in Boston over this coming summer break I really needed to stockpile some cash since I wouldn't be living at home for free for the next three months.

_Not having to panic was nice, and if I was honest with myself I'm actually starting to get a little thrill at the idea that these guys toss their money at my feet because they wanted to see ME. Lackluster, simple old me. What a power trip … though I can't believe that I've lied to Jane that I'm not completely repulsed anymore. Don't want her to think that I've gotten too in touch with my human side._

Walking into the apartment in a daze, Trix snapped me out of it.

"So, time to get out the home waxing kit or head over to the land lord's apartment?" she asked with a hopeful look.

"I'll take care of the waxing myself thank you. You don't have the spare cash for a show right now and I don't feel like giving it for free, it's bad for business you know."

"I guess that's my answer, huh? Sorry, I know that stripping doesn't exactly give you the warm fuzzies," Trix shrugged apologetically.

"Nothing gives me the warm fuzzies, I'm allergic to them. You should know that; after all you've been my roommate for how long now?"

"Long enough to know that if you're not getting the warm fuzzies, you need to get a boyfriend or a better vibrator. Speaking of which, I'm taking off to go meet up with mine and I'll probably stay at his place this weekend. Do you mind or do you want me here for moral support?"

"Nah, go visit your living vibrator. If he comes over here you'll be too 'busy' to really be that supportive for me anyway. I'll be fine as long as I don't have to listen to you two going at it. Go have fun, I'll see you Sunday night, and I'll take the rent over as soon as I get it."

"Unless of course, you decide to run off with that cash and I come home to find that all of my stuff has been dumped on the curb. Is that your evil plan D?" Trix asked while pulling out a packet of cigarettes and lighting up.

"Hey let me have one, please?" I asked as I reached for Trix's extended offering of a cancer stick. I didn't smoke often; actually I liked the motions and ritual of the act more than anything else, but tonight felt like a time to smoke. "Alright, you caught me. I've developed a friendship and moved in with you as part of my master plan to steal this particular month's rent money from you and get you kicked out of the building before riding into the sunset. It's not like you'll ever see me in class or anything like that."

"I guess you have a point, but you know how you strippers are. You'd probably run out and spend it all on heels, outfits, make-up, piercings, and cocaine if you thought you could get away with it," Trix said as she gave me an evil smirk.

"Ha *beat* ha *beat HA!" was the only retort I could come up with at that moment.

_Damn anxiety, it's interfering with my witty comebacks now. Is it the pain I'm freaking out about, or the fact that I'll be dancing again in as little as 20 hours from now? _

"Just don't start making a bunch of dumb jokes about a white rabbit, cereal related or otherwise, and I won't have to stage an intervention. I'm gonna take off now so I'll see you Sunday night, but call me if you need to talk or anything." Trix called as she walked down the hallway towards the door.

I watched her go and then made my way into the kitchen. If I was going to go through with this self-torture then I was going to need a little liquid pain reliever, so I grabbed the bottle of vodka out of the freezer and poured myself a small tumbler and downed it.

_It's a poor substitute for the one thing in my life that was the best pain reliever I've ever experienced._

Unconsciously, I ran my hand down to the hem of my shirt and lifted it slightly before looking down at the tiny scar that only I could spot before smiling to myself.

_My little reminder; my physical proof that I can be conned into something by a compliment and a raised eyebrow. Too bad I don't have Trent here now to hold my hand while I … eww, was I really just thinking that? Don't ask me, I'm you, you moron. Stop talking to yourself, no you stop!_

Grumbling to myself, I poured another small glass of vodka before putting the bottle back in the freezer. Then I steeled my courage, and headed down the hall to the bathroom to face the music and get tonight over with.


	4. Chapter 4

**May 22****nd****, 8:30 PM**

I looked around the parking lot of the strip club and smiled to myself as I walked from the bus stop to the front door. There was barely a parking spot open and it was still early for a Saturday night, so the likelihood that there would be more cash to go around was an appealing prospect.

_Hopefully, I'll make the rent money tonight and enough so that I don't have to do this again next month._

I chatted briefly with the bouncer, Eddie, before walking in and heading to the bar to say hi to the bad influence in my life at the moment and the one who got me involved in all this sordid business: Emily.

"Hey Dar … Charlotte," Emily stuttered from behind the bar. She almost broke the cardinal rule of the strip club: don't say each other's real names in front of the customers. Good thing she quickly switched over to my stage name. I had been re-reading some Brontë when I picked it out.

_It was either Charlotte, Jane, or Shirley. Something tells me that my Jane would not be happy about my use of her name for this and Shirley sounds too old to be a stripper. Since the point is to get men to spend money to see me instead of running for the door thinking I'm a grandmother, I think I choose the right name._

"Hey Em, what's the crowd like tonight?" I asked as I perched on a stool.

Emily was pre-med, grew up in the gritty urban jungles of New York, and had the distinct honor of being the dirtiest mind I had ever come across in my life. After knowing Upchuck for 3 years, that was saying a lot of the depravity of Emily's inner workings. Her book shelves had some of the craziest porn subjects ever known to man, and she watched them out of lust instead of a curiosity of human nature or for a laugh. I refuse to visit her apartment anymore after see the various 'paraphernalia' she left lying around in case the mood hit her. She aspired to reach a certain amount of sexual partners in her lifetime and considering the fact that she went through men, women, couples, and a surprising number of trans-gender individuals like a doctor goes through gloves I'd say she was well on her way to reaching her goal.

"It's a good mix tonight Charlotte. There are some heavy tippers, some show-offs, some dedicated regulars, two bachelor parties, three birthdays with one being a 21st birthday group, and a few women in the crowd so make sure you show the lady's some attention to help titillate the male customers."

"Great," I paused for a moment as the nerves hit again, "hey, is 'Diamond' here tonight? I still can't fix my own makeup and I think with this crowd I'll need to look more … like a real stripper, you know?"

_Thank god that the girls have been teaching me a few things each time I get here. I felt so awkward just sort of moving around and taking my outfits off. At least now I know a few cool tricks with the pole. Wait, did I just say the word "outfits"? Add that to the new focus on makeup and "grooming" I have to do for this job and I'm turning into Quinn. That's it, I need to look for a better day job, apparently I AM selling my non-existent soul …_

"Hey, you in there, I'm talking to you." Emily interrupted my inner monologue with a wave in front of my face.

"Huh?" _Great, now I'm even sounding as eloquent and Quinn. I'm defiantly going through the help-wanted ad tomorrow and sending out some more short stories and articles. Facing rejection is better than ending up like this._

"Diamond just finished a set and doesn't have to go back up for another 30 minutes. You are kind of out of it tonight, aren't you? Do you want a shot of anything to help with the stage fright?"

"Sure, give me a shot of Jack, but I've got to get back there and try and make do with this mess," I said as I gestured to myself.

I knocked back my drink before giving Emily one of my rare smiles and heading to the doorway that led to the dressing rooms. Finding an empty mirror and a chair that didn't look diseased, I tossed my stuff down and put my contacts in before trying to find Monica for help. I found her out back smoking so I begged Monica, also known as "Diamond", for her makeup expertise and clothing opinions while feeling even more and more like a scarier version of Quinn. After the mini-makeover, I didn't recognize myself with all of the makeup and sexy clothes I had on.

_Every time I do this, I always feel like I'm looking at a stranger when I check myself out in the mirror. I have to just keep telling myself that it's not me stripping, it's Charlotte. _

Monica had styled my hair into a curly, just-been-ravished look. Knowing expertly how to blend my personal tastes with enough sex appeal to make me some money, she had applied a heavy hand with black liner as my only eye makeup for the first set. Using a dark blush at a sharp angle, Monica somehow managed to force my face into having cheekbones. The simple yet startling deep red lipstick that I picked out really helped complete the look and helped make my smallest facial feature, my lips, pop out of my face and give me what I have learned is called a 'cock sucker pout'.

_I hate that name, but if it gets me even a few extra dollars all this crap is worth it. These fake eyelashes make me look like if I batted my eyelids fast enough, I could fly out to the stage instead of walk. Yet Monica and the other ladies here have told me repeatedly by now that I need them so I'll put up with them for now. I'll put up with all of it for now. That's what I do, right? Suffer in silence?_

I slipped on the shoes, a pair of distressed black knee-high boots with kitten heels. No way could I walk in footwear typical to this profession yet; I had tried on a higher pair of 6-inch clunky stripper heels on the first night and had promptly fallen flat on my ass the first step I took in the dressing room. The embarrassment and stress were dangerous enough, so I decided to stick with short heels from then on until I had more experience and could work my way up to something modest with maybe 4 inches.

_Wonder why men think a hobbled woman is so sexy. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that they can catch us easier, or we are more helpless in them?_

I put on the first outfit of the night; something that I didn't feel completely disgusted by when I wore it and made me feel a little dissimilar from the stripper stereotype. A black thong, a pair of army camouflage booty shorts, an opaque bra that matched the shorts, and then a short dress in army green that buttoned down the front were my weapons of choice. I liked to be able to draw things out a bit more with extra items of clothing so that I really spent a lot less time nearly naked for the room to see than the other performers.

_At least this is a topless-only place; I would probably pass out if someone told me I had to take everything off._

I waited by the doorway to the main room, and then heard the DJ give my cue and start to introduce me. I gathered my courage one last time, then walked with a false confidence and assumed sex appeal out to the center stage to make my money.


	5. Chapter 5

*Author's Note*: well, I know it's a bit transparent by now so you shouldn't have to make a flying leap to figure out who's out in the audience. Sorry about the wordiness, but for this story Daria is really in her head a lot and I have a hard time stopping my fingers. I'll try and edit more!

**May 22nd, 9:05 PM**

The beginning cords of Rob Zombie's "Living Dead Girl" came blasting over the sound system, and I just let "Charlotte" take over. My music choices were always a bit odd compared to the other girls, but this particular song helped me drum up a certain amount of fake enthusiasm.

_Alright boys_, _who's gonna be first to drop some bills? I don't have all night and I know someone here must like something other than inflated peroxide blondes so give me a sign._

After twirling around the pole a few times, I popped a few of the top buttons on my dress and a fat older man with sickly looking skin and a balding spot made eye contact and placed a ten spot on the dance floor in front of him. Spiraling down the pole to the floor, I crawled over to try to convince the guy to give some more.

"Hi there, where have you been all my life," I asked with a smirk.

_He knows it's fake, I know it's fake; everyone in the club knows that everything that comes out of a stripper's mouth is just a soothing blanket of lies and flattery to get those wallets out. Yet we all play the game anyway, choosing to believe instead of facing the reality of the situation._

I quickly ripped open the rest of the buttons and slid my dress off before grinding onto the floor. Balding Man's eyes grew wide as he started pulling out more dollars. Trying my sub-par attempt to thank him with my eyes, I got back up and paid some attention to the other patrons who had put up some cash. By the end of my first song I had only my shoes, bra, and thong left.

_I still just don't feel comfortable taking everything off right away. Plus I'm kinda hoping that the anticipation will make my 'performance' better, or am I just lying to myself?_

Balding Man kept up the best cash flow so I focused on him. He looked very appreciative when the bra came off, and it made me wonder if he only ever saw breasts in real life in establishments like this. Towards the end of the second song, I started to look around the room beyond the stage to see if anyone was focusing in enough to approach later to offer a lap dance to when my heart stopped.

_Oh god no._

_No, no, no, no no no NO!_

I had caught a glimpse of some guys watching me from a table in the back. Even though it was hard to see them, I still caught enough details to mildly panic. The thing that caught my attention in the first place was the shock of pink hair. I looked at his friends and saw a guy with a shiny head sitting next to someone with long, wavy brown locks.

_You don't know that it's them, haven't even gotten a good look at the faces yet. Plus, I haven't seen …_

Just then a tall, skinny guy walked out of the hallway with the bathrooms. I couldn't see his face but I could see that he had short, black hair that appeared to spiky. I found myself suddenly a little lightheaded, probably due to the fact that I had forgotten to breathe.

_DON'T panic. DON'T freeze. DON'T run off stage. If that really is them I have no proof that they know it's me, and this song is almost over. Don't cause any further need for scrutinization. Then I can go backstage to flip out. Stay calm, Morgendorffer!_

Finally, the last bars of the song trickled out and the DJ's booming voice announced "Charlotte's" exit. I managed to hold it together just long enough to get behind the curtain before letting the shock overtake me. All I could do was crumple to the floor and feel myself shake. A few of the girls called my name all at once, rushing towards me to see what was wrong. Monica grabbed my face and forced me to look up at her.

"Daria, what's the matter? Did someone mess with you out there? Are you sick? Are you on something?" Monica rapid-fired questions at me while watching in amazement as I cried without a sound.

"No, no, I'll be alright," I heard myself say in a calm voice that was in eerie juxtaposition to my current state. "That is, if I don't go to jail tonight. Can you help me outside and grab my cell phone please?"

_She is dead, she is dead, she is dead dead dead dead … _was all that was racing through my mind as I magically ended up outside on the back patio. Begging for some privacy, the girls all left me alone so that I could make a very important phone call.

"Yo, who's this?" the voice of my soon-to-be ex best friend came over the line.

"If you didn't want to be my friend anymore you could have just told me instead of betraying me so badly that I would cut you out of my life, you know that right?"

Nothing but silence came from the speaker pressed up against my ear.

"No joke this time Lane. I. Am. Going. To. Kill. You!"

Who was this person shouting at the phone, because I certainly didn't recognize the poison in this voice.

"How could you do this to me Jane?"

Jane continued her imitation of a mime over the phone. The humiliation and fear I felt earlier erupted into a rage I had never experienced before at her lack of acknowledgment.

"JANE! Don't play innocent with me; there isn't a chance in hell that the fact that all of the guys from Mystik Spiral are sitting in the club the night I just happen to be dancing is a coincidence."

"Daria, I know you are looking for an apology here and I am sorry that you are so upset."

"Sorry that I'm upset? That's the best you've got? You're fucking right I'm upset! I trusted you, I TRUSTED you to not tell anyone …"

Jane cut my irate screaming off "I didn't tell anyone Daria."

"Yes you did! This betrayal is made even worse by the fact that you told Trent …"

"Why Daria, why is it worse if I did tell him?" Jane once again cut in.

I had no words, which is surprising considered my normally vast vocabulary. Recognizing that my silence might go on for a while, Jane spoke up.

"Daria, I didn't tell him YOU were dancing. I merely suggested that this was a good strip club, and that he might want to go there for Jesse's bachelor party tonight."

_This is supposed to make me feel better about the situation? _

I debated hanging up or screaming at her some more. Both options had their appeal. Finally I managed to speak, but it came out in a whisper so low I wondered if Jane would actually hear me.

"Please Jane; you need to tell me why you did this to me. You owe me that much. Why would you risk our friendship this way?"

"Daria bear with me on this, but I meant well. This wasn't fun at your expense, or my attempt to break up our evil brain-trust once and for all. I've just gotten so sick of you and Trent dancing around each other …"

"What do you mean, 'dancing around each other'? We both know I was the only one ever involved in that twisted ballet," I sniffed bitterly.

Jane gave a big huge sigh. "I still can't believe that you never figured it out; even Trent came to the conclusion that you had a crush on him pretty quick after it happened, so why can't you see that he has one on you? I've seen you two actively flirting while working on Spiral songs. Wake up and see what's right in front of you. Stop pushing this drama when it can be so simple."

Sitting there, floored by this little revelation, I was flooded by too many memories of situations that I had written off as reading too much into the actions of the object of my crush.

_It's not possible, right? Someone as smart as myself should have realized it, seen it for what it really was if Jane is right. Or am I really the oblivious one?_

"Jane, what do you want me to do with this information? Couldn't you have told me all of this over pizza instead of after the fact that I just stripped in front of all of the guys?"

"No, if I did you would've laughed it off. You needed to see that I am dead serious. I want you to face up the fact that you STILL have feelings for him and be brave enough to go after him, and I want him to get over his hesitation because you're his kid sister's age. Maybe if he finally sees you as a sex object it will force him into making a move."

"Not that I'm forgiving you, but what the hell am I supposed to do now?"

"Did he recognize you yet? Did any of the guys recognize you?"

"No, I don't think so. They were sitting in the back during my first set, but I didn't see them until I was wrapping up."

"Then go back out there and dance! Do what you went there to do, get your money to pay the rent. If they recognize you, don't flip out just act like you normally do on stage. If Trent never recognizes you, maybe you should enlighten him that our little girl has become a woman …"

"Just so you know I still plan on killing you."

"As long as you do it after the wedding so that I can be the maid of honor. I've got some killer ideas for the dresses and the decorations."


	6. Chapter 6

**May 22****nd****, 10:15 PM**

With the help of the concerned ladies who were on their break I emerged from the bathroom with a washed face, new makeup, a new outfit, and new hair. I broke down and told them honestly what the situation was; finding it strangely easy to open up to a group who were mostly strangers to me that I happened to share one thing in common with. One girl that I had barely talked to pulled out a bottle of something and started pouring me shots, and I slid them back without even being able to figure out what they were.

_It can't believe that it has taken three shots and five consecutive cigarettes to stop the shaking. Maybe I should just run out of here when it's time to go dance, but I think the get-up will attract some attention._

The other strippers had lent me some pieces and turned me into the Lady in Red for this set. Red fishnet stockings held up by a sheer red garter belt adorned my hips and legs. A red leather skirt and a tight-fitting red corset that opened with hook-and-eye closures on the front were the 'clothing' choices. The covered up a matching bra and G-string set with red and white stripes. It was generally decided by the whole group that I should move up in the shoe department, so someone offered me a pair of red four-inch high strappy sandals. Even though I was feeling ready to try this little experiment of Jane's, I wasn't quite ready to be so easily spotted; I borrowed one of the other girl's wigs that was short bob in neon-red with blunt bangs.

"Daria, you ready? You're up next … but if you can't do it I'll take your place." Monica offered.

"No, thanks, thank all of you so much for the support but it's time I grew a pair and dealt with this."

"Alright then, your introduction is starting. Go knock him off his seat."

As I walked out, I quickly scanned the room. Apparently, Fate wanted to play rough because both Trent and Max had both moved up to the main stage by now. I had been holding out hope that maybe Trent wasn't even in the room anymore; after I described the guys to my impromptu support group backstage, one of the other dancers had said that the bachelor and one of his friends had gone to the back for lap dances.

_I don't know if I'm thrilled or horrified to see that it must have been Nick that went to the back with Jesse._

My first song was short, so I decided to prolong the removal my clothes by starting out with the tricks I had learned so far on the pole.

_Maybe if I'm spinning around too much he won't have a chance to really study my face_.

So I flipped, I slid, I spun, I turned myself upside down, I grinded, and I did it all with an uncharacteristic grace that had never appeared before in my attempts at working the pole. I worked the pole so much that I started to get a bit dizzy. Slowing down on my impression of a human centrifuge, I realized that I had badly ignored all of the clients when I was really just trying to steer clear of two of them. Looking around to pick someone to focus on, I saw that my neglect had actually inspired the majority of the men to start placing large amounts of cash on the floor to grab my attention; including the two guys I was trying to avoid the most.

_I'm not ready just yet to face them. I'll pick some guy on the opposite side of the stage, till I can work up my courage. Wait, didn't I just claim that I was going to grow a pair?_

The guy with the largest pile of bills in front of him was thankfully across the stage from Trent, so I walked over to him and started to show my appreciation. Slowly unhooking the corset, I chanced a quick peak over my shoulder. Trent was staring intently at me with a look that caused a pang in the pit of my stomach, well, maybe a little lower south actually. Yet he didn't have even a glimmer of recognition in his face.

_He hasn't figured it out yet. Maybe I should tease him a bit, do what Jane and the girls suggested and just act like my stripper persona and see what happens. God is it possible that he got even cuter in the last few months since I've seen him? Why did I ever try and convince myself that I didn't like him again?  
_

The corset peeled off my frame and tossed to the side, I made sure that Trent saw me looking at him before giving him a wink and turning my attention back to the man I was dancing in front of. Moving onto the guy sitting next to him I turned around, bent over, and slid the skirt down my legs as slowly as I could. After kicking it off with as much sex appeal as I could muster in these heels of death, I looked up again and leveled Trent in a gaze that I hoped was mysterious before turning back to the next man.

_Gotta give them what they paid for after all. _

Finally, the second song started. I had never used it before but every time I had ever heard "Tear You Apart" by She Wants Revenge, it made me think of Trent. Now, it was just intensifying everything I was feeling as I got ready to reveal myself to him. Kneeling at the center of the stage and still facing away from the guys, I reached back and unhooked my bra. Slowly, I let it slide down to expose my lack of a relationship with plastic surgeon to the audience. Moving to a lounging position, I finally revealed myself to all sides of the stage but kept my eyes closed tight as I ran my hands over myself as seductively as I could. To the eyes lining the stage it looked like mock ecstasy, but in reality "Charlotte" just didn't want to risk seeing Trent's face yet as he got an eyeful. At last I summoned up my last speck of courage, arched my back so that I could look right in his face, opened my eyes and stared dead-on into his.

_Breathe, in and out, I can do this. Wow, still no sign of an epiphany. Captain Oblivious is really easily fooled by a wig apparently. Time to push this a little more … _

Rolling over onto all fours I managed to do the sexiest crawl I've ever done, staring Trent down the whole time. Max leaned over and whispered something into his ear, but it looked like Trent was a bit too distracted to listen to him and he never broke our eye contact. Getting right up in front of him and sitting up, I pushed out a couple of torso rolls while arching my head back so that he could a better view of everything but my face. It almost felt like an electric shock when his finger tips brushed gently against my skin to tuck a few more dollars into the top of one of my stockings.

_The last time I felt that way was also around him, and he had touched me in a "just friends" manner. I think I like this charge better._

Turning my head to face Trent again, I lost myself in the music and his eyes; the rest of the room just disappeared from my vision. It was just him and I, and I let that feeling come out through my eyes. He looked back up at me like he was starving and I was a deluxe pizza (and having actually seen him in that situation before I could correctly identify that look), but then he started to break the spell by trying to talk to me.

_There is no way I can disguise my voice, am I ready to clue him in to who I am? I ... no, not up on stage, not with Max right there. The song is almost over; I can't speak right now or I'll give myself away completely. I've got to shut him up …_

In a moment of pure desperation, I leaned over the rail and planted a closed-mouth kiss right on Trent's moving mouth. His lips were amazingly soft for a guy, and I nearly grabbed him and ran to one of the back rooms when he started to kiss me back but I could tell that my time to leave the stage was coming in mere seconds. Pulling back I noticed that many of the patrons were a bit surprised, but Trent looked like someone had just punched him. Reveling in the fact that I had finally made him into the one who froze up, I gave him yet another wink as the music ended before getting my stuff and leaving the platform. Turning to look at him once more I saw Max laughing as he slapped Trent on the back, breaking him out of his bewildered state just as I moved back behind the curtain.

This time instead of collapsing alone onto the floor, a group of girls gathered around to hug me and squealed in girlish glee. I let them do it, but I might as well have been on my own seeing as how lost in my own haze I was. All I could do was let out a breath that felt like I had held it during the whole dance and smile up at the ceiling.


	7. Chapter 7

****Trent's POV****

**May 22nd, 10:06 PM**

_Just call her ... call her or go back inside. This curb is making my ass cold._

It's tough debating with yourself, especially when you know that what you want to do and what you should do are very different things. Like right now my best friends and band-mates were sitting inside, watching strippers in celebration that Jesse was getting hitched. I should be happy for him; I should want to be in there with them. Yet I'm out here, miserable at the possibility that Jesse might leave us. It also doesn't help that I'm about half an hour away from Daria's apartment, and I haven't seen her since February. I want to call her, I want to go see her, but I should stay here with my friends and try to act like I'm having fun.

_Besides, do I want to explain that the reason I'm here is because I'm at a strip club? How in the hell did Janey manage to convince me that this one was the one we needed to go to, there are thousands of these things in between Lawndale and Boston. Aside from that one girl, the one who danced to some freaking Rob Zombie and didn't look like a plastic blow-up doll, none of the others have really done it for me here. Too bad that I caught only the tail end of her routine, she might be worth watching again; if I ever go back inside._

I had been antsy ever since we crossed over the city limits to Boston, and it got worse when we got to the club. I've gone to the bathroom a couple of times, gone to the bar, talked to the DJ on his break about the local music scene, and come out here for a smoke already once before. I told the guys I was coming out here for another one, but really all I'm doing is sitting on the sidewalk and staring at my cell phone like a crazy person.

_Screw this, I'm doing it._

I will my fingers to find her apartment's number and hit the send button. After holding my breath for a while it goes to the answering machine.

_Of course you idiot, call her cell. She's a college student and its 10 o'clock on a Saturday night, why should she be at home?_

I called her cell, but it went straight to voicemail and I hung up without saying anything.

_Maybe she's out with someone? She told me a long time ago that she broke up with that one guy she was seeing earlier this year but it might be someone new. Whatever, it's not like I can really do anything about it; but if I can't man-up and ask her out I really wish no one else would either._

I heaved myself up from the icy cement and walked back inside. Finding our table empty, I looked around the room and finally spotted Max sitting right up front at the side of the main stage so I went to join him.

"Hey man, where'd the other guys go?"

"That was one long-ass cigarette, Trent. Jesse and Nick found some girls they liked so they went into the back to get lap dances. I've only seen that one girl that I like so I'm hoping she'll get back on stage so I can get a closer look before asking for a dance myself."

"Yeah, I've only seen one girl I like too," I sighed as I sat down next to him, "which one?"

"The one without the fake tits; who had the 'Living Dead Girl' song playing while she was on stage. All the other's here sorta look the same to me," Max shrugged.

"Yeah, that's the same girl I liked too. I think her name is Charlotte or something; she had those sexy boots on right?"

"They have names?," Max laughed as he nudged me, "and what the hell is it with you and girls with boots, huh?""

As I punched him in the arm, I heard the DJ announce that Charlotte was coming up on the stage next. I took a sip of my drink and I turned to watch her entrance. I could see out of the corner of my eye that Max's mouth popped open in awe the same time mine did when we saw her.

_The other guys will be pissed that they missed this get-up, especially Nick considering her hair. That has to be a wig, right? Don't care, it's sexy; but in a really unusual way. _

Max and I both started to lay some money on the stage in a bid to get her to come over, but we weren't alone. There was a silent bidding war going on as several other guys started pulling out cash, but it didn't seem to matter. This girl was intent on doing her thing on the stripper pole in the center of the stage and yeah it was titillating; after a period of time though I began to wonder if she was blocking us all out or something. As she stopped spinning and turned towards the other side of the stage, I decided that the wait was probably worth it; even still covered up there was something special about this one, something special that I just couldn't name quite yet.

_Whoa, she's looking at me. It's like she knew I was thinking about her, well, I guess most guys here are thinking about her so that doesn't make me any different. Really though, it's like she just zeroed in on me and it felt like a kick in the gut … damn. Now she's winking at me? I know this is probably an act, or maybe it's the beer talking but I think I might know her. There's just something about her that's … evocative? Reminiscent? Familiar? I don't know, but her pale skin is really set off by the red she's wearing. It kinda makes her glow, as opposed to most of the other dancers here who look like they spend time under a toaster oven._

I could feel myself release a huge breath as this Charlotte took off her bra, and I decided that I don't know her as a previous one-night stand. I'd never forget a chest like hers, and I knew for a fact that I'd be requesting her for a lap dance later. Looking over at Max, I could tell that he would too and for some reason this pissed me off a little and I had no idea why.

_I'm getting jealous over a stripper I don't know? What the hell is wrong with me?_

Suddenly, she looked up at me from her prone position lying on the floor of the stage. If the earlier look and wink had felt like a kick in the gut, this one felt like she had ripped out my heart and stuck her hands down my pants at the same time. Max tried to say something to me, and I think I heard "… likes you man…," but truth be told my focus was on the woman in front of me. She kept staring me down as she crawled over towards me; she had this magical talent to suddenly make me feel like I was the only one she was dancing for.

_I don't think that she's just so good at this that every guy feels this with her; I didn't see her giving these looks to anyone else so far. I know the whole point of being a stripper is to get guys to think about sex in order to give up more cash but damn, this girl is a little too good at her job right now. She hasn't even looked away from me once since she came over._

I felt the urge to touch her, to press my palm into her skin and see if my hand left an imprint in the white flesh of her thigh, but the most I could get away with here was to slip some cash into the top of her stocking. I let my fingers linger as long as I could without getting tossed by security.

_It's her eyes, that's what I think turn me on the most. She can say so much with them, it's like she's trying to tell me something. I need to talk to her; I need to ask her for a lap dance after this and maybe then I can figure out why she has this influence over me._

I tried to let her know that I wanted a privet dance when she was done, not being one to frequent strip clubs I didn't know if I should tell her now or wait till she came out on her own after her set was done, and I saw panic sweep her eyes. Embarrassed, I figured that probably people didn't talk to the dancers while they were actually on the stage. They were performers after all; maybe I just broke her character or something. I was about to apologize, but before I could say anything she leaned close to me and began to kiss me.

_What the … why is she … wow … uh … just enjoy man … can't think anymore … lips busy …_

Just as soon as she started, she pulled away and winked at me again.

_Is she trying to kill me? My heart isn't used to pounding like this; I don't do many things to raise my heart rate. Wait, where'd she go? OOWWW! My shoulder … what the hell?_

Max was laughing his ass off next to me, and I realized that he was the source of my bodily injury. I managed to swing my eyes over and catch a glimpse of this enigma called Charlotte right before she disappeared into the 'dancer's only' area. I found myself jumping up to catch a waitress who was staring at me, actually most of the room appeared to be staring at me, and told her to ask the dancer that was just on to come out ASAP to my table.

_That was one of the coolest ways I've ever been hit on before … god I hope that was a come on … so why am I thinking about calling Daria again?_

I pulled my phone out, acknowledged the lack of calls, and then decided to go join Nick and Jesse at our table before Max could completely take over the story.


	8. Chapter 8

**May 22****nd****, 10:57 PM**

In celebration, there had been another shot or two of what I was now able to identify as tequila. Trembling, this time from the adrenalin rush, I went back to the patio with some of other ladies to smoke and hash out what had just happened in there.

_I have smoked more of these cancer sticks tonight than I have in 6 months. I better lay off … don't want to get a habit going that I'll need to strip more to support._

My cell phone was ringing off the hook with calls from Jane, but I decided not to answer just yet. No point if there was no definite news one way or the other, and I didn't want to have a long discussion full of assumptions and guesses. I distracted myself by counting out the dollars stuffed into the bag and realized that not only had that one dance alone covered the last of the rent, it was enough combined with the take from the first dance to cover most of my portion of next month's rent as well.

_Apparently, I need to play hard to get more with the nudity, or maybe it was the fact that I wanted to fuck the brains out of one of the guys I was dancing for. I'll bet that had an effect on my dancing …_

One of the waitresses came in the back to tell the room that there had been about eight requests for "Charlotte" to come back out for lap dances. Monica, the waitress, and I peeked out of the curtain as I asked her to point out everyone who had so far requested a dance. More giggles (from Monica and the waitress only) ensued when Trent was finally pointed at. Monica helped me change my get-up into a simple but short black kimono over the same lingerie set I had just danced in, minus the corset. I decided to keep the red wig on for now, just for continuety's sake I told myself.

_Yeah right, I'm just using it as a shield and I know it; using the wig to put off telling him right away like a coward. Well, I guess I've already let him hang for a little while, I better reveal myself or else I'll never be able to look myself in the mirror without wondering what could have been._

Walking out into club, I noticed that even though one of the best looking dancers was on the stage at the moment many pairs of eyes swung over to me. I walked over to the bar first to hand the manager my stage fee for the night.

"Charlotte, I don't mind the more experienced dancers messing with the clients like you did tonight," the gruff man said pointedly, "but are you sure that was wise for you to try?"

"It's ok man, but thanks for worrying about me," I shrugged at him as I turned around and found that the one pair of dark eyes I was looking for were burning a hole in my back. Slowly, I walked over towards the table surrounded by the members of Mystik Spiral.

_This could go several different ways, and if this is my last moments of calm before something bad happens I need to prolong them. I really hope that nothing goes wrong._

Upon arriving at the table I determined that there hadn't been any great revelations yet for any of the guys; no knowing looks, no faces stuck in horrified shock, no one greeting me in my real name. I turned towards Trent and silently extended my hand for him to take, and nearly melted when he crooked one eyebrow at me before taking my hand and rising to follow me towards the privet lap dance area in the back. The guys left behind at the table whooped it up, just like any other group of rowdy guys coming into the club. I pulled Trent into the first vacant room and sat him down into the chair, just as he started to speak.

"Hey, um, I'm not entirely sure how this … how this works. How much for the dance? Do I pay you now or after?" Trent stammered as he rubbed the back of his neck.

_He's actually really cute when he's stumbling. It always used to be me fumbling for the words … oh how the tables have turned. I finally get my turn to make him the awkward one; this is turning out to be a lot more fun than I had thought._

I gave him a little scoff and stared to straddle him. He looked up at me in astonishment and lifted up his arms; I could tell that he was ill at ease and not really sure where to put them. Laughing quietly at his predicament I reached up to his hands while grinding down on his lap, eliciting a groan from his lips that made me want to match it, and placed one of his hands on my waist. I wrapped the other around the belt holding the kimono closed, hoping that he would get the hint.

"Aside from that kiss out there, do I know you?" he asked as he squinted up into my heavily made-up face.

"Uh-hu," I nodded slowly as I pulled at his wrist, releasing my robe with the action. He had apparently not gotten the hint and needed a little help.

I think he was going to ask more questions, but I seductively pushed the flimsy material of the robe down my shoulders and onto the floor. His voice trailed off, and then effectively stopped when I pulled the bra off and tossed it behind me. Snapping out of it a moment later he tried to get a good look at my face again.

"Are you doing anything later tonight? I'd love to talk to you, Mystery Woman, and figure out just how we know each other. That is, if you ever talk …"

_This is it, now or never. Let him in on the secrete and see how it goes_.

I leaned forward and pressed myself to his chest. Angling my lips right next to Trent's ear, I prepared to drop the biggest bomb in my life and hoped for the best.

"I don't know," I stated in my easily recognized monotone voice, "I sort of already have a date to murder Jane and toss her body in the harbor. Think you can wait till after that?"

I stayed absolutely still, waiting for a response. Feeling his body freeze under me was the only reaction I got, so I cautiously pulled back and looked into Trent's face. If the situation wasn't so serious, the absolute disbelief I saw in his eyes would have been hilarious. As it was, instead of laughing, I just gave him my patented Mona Lisa smirk and pulled off the wig. His eyes looked like they were trying to escape his head. While trying to fix my messy wig-hair, I decided that it was time to try and coax him back to the land of the living before he got stuck this way forever.

"Trent?" I asked hesitantly, suddenly feeling all my confidence from before shattering away from me.

_What is it about him that makes me revert back into a panicky kid all over again? Is he ever going to speak?_

"Da … Daria?"


	9. Chapter 9

**May 22****nd****, 12:16 PM**

_What the hell have I done?_

I was sitting in the dressing room, slumped over the makeup stand, trying to contemplate what had just happened and why it had gone so horribly wrong. The owner of the tequila bottle had graciously left it next to me, but I had no need for alcohol to ease the pain as I had turned completely numb all on my own.

_What the hell have I done! Why did I let Jane and the others here talk me into this! I'm never going to be able to face Trent again now; I can't believe that I screwed up so badly, and now I've probably lost the second best friend I ever had. Even worse: I got my hopes up all over again but apparently I was right in the first place and he doesn't like me after all. Maybe if I kill my first best friend I'll feel better._

Leaning back in my chair I stared up at the ceiling, wondering if maybe I could blame this on the asbestos tiles, and ran Trent's reaction once more through my mind.

"_Da … Daria?"_

Not five seconds after he said my name, his face had turned blank. He rose suddenly, forcing me to get up off of his lap and reach for the wall to keep from falling on my ass. He then refused to look at me or respond when I tried to talk to him. Instead he stooped down and grabbed the kimono robe, wrapped it around me haphazardly, and gently but forcefully pushed me out of the privet room. He continued to guide me without a word past all of the patrons till we were right in front of the curtain that led to the dancer's dressing rooms. Finally he released me; I had turned around but he dodged any eye contact and headed back to Jesse, Nick, and Max. Monica's set had just ended so she came and stood with me.

She watched Trent stomping away from us for a bit before asking, "What happened?"

Before I could reply we heard Trent yelling at the guys and saw him gesturing wildly. During a lull in the music, I managed to catch him yelling "did any of you know about this" and "… just get the fuck out of here…" before he rushed out the front door onto the streets.

"I don't know. I've never seen anyone flip out and stay so calm at the same time. He won't talk to me."

I watched the remaining members of Mystik Spiral rise and start to leave while looking at me. Jesse ran out the door to find his best friend after a moment, but Max and Nick were staring at me openly with shock written on their faces. Slowly, they began to make their way over to me.

_Damnit, they know. They've recognized me or Trent said something before and now they know. This whole plan was stupid, I was so stupid. How many relationships do I have to ruin tonight?_

Not wanting to face any of the guys right now, I twirled around fast enough to create my own wind and ran behind the curtain. I locked myself in the bathroom till I was sure they wouldn't be waiting around anymore, and then went back into the dressing room and changed into my street clothes. I didn't want to go back to my empty apartment, so I dialed Jane over and over again but this time it was her turn not to answer.

_So here I am, doing my best impression of a rock in a chair that I can do, hoping that she'll call and I can go over to her place. I don't even want to talk or cry at this point, I'm just so pissed at myself right now. I just don't want to be alone with myself; I'm disgusted about this whole thing and that I let myself hope it would actually work. _

I ended up waiting an hour before I realized I should just go home. Jane's line was busy so she was probably talking to her new boyfriend, and who knew how long their lovey-dovey talk would last. Emily called a cab for me since it was already after midnight and the buses had stopped running, but with the haul from tonight I could afford it. I made my way to the front, wanting to spend my time waiting with the bouncer. Eddie's hulking form hid a very soft heart, and he often seemed to be the shoulder many of the dancers cried on when they had a bad night, so I was interested to find out if he could help me as well.

_I'm not going to cry, I've already done that enough already. You'd think after years of practice controlling my emotions I'd be better at it tonight. What the hell is wrong with me?_

I walked outside, but instead of a comforting conversation with Eddie my eyes were drawn to a figure across the street. There was Trent pacing back and forth manically, smoking furiously, while simultaneously yelling into a cell phone. It vaguely reminded me of a fast-moving train pouring a cloud of steam behind it. When he heard the door smack shut, he snapped his head up and saw me staring at him like a deer caught in the head lights. He slammed his phone in his pocket, flicked his cigarette away, and started to jaunt across the street straight at me.

_Wow, he's almost running. I can't believe that he is moving faster than sloth for once. Shit, what am I going to say to him? He's been out here for over an hour now just stewing; this is going to be ugly. I can't go back to that false confidence I used in there … I don't think "Did you see anything you liked?" will go over well right now._

Seeing the anger in his face and watching him rush over towards me, my mind immediately jumped to worrying about his safety. Breaking away from Trent's glare I turned towards Eddie; he had also seen Trent's mood and had rushed up behind me, making moves to protect me from whatever threat Trent might be.

"It's o.k. Eddie, I know him. You can call off the cavalry," I said hurriedly.

"You sure honey? I don't like the way he's looking at you." Eddie stated loudly as he looked over my head to stare Trent down.

Just as Trent galloped up behind me, I turned to face him but still made a point of telling Eddie, "Yeah, I'm sure … he would never hurt me."

Upon hearing my statement of trust, I could see the anger exhaust itself from Trent like the air being released from a balloon. He stood there, mouth open, obviously at a loss for words though his face betrayed that a hundred different things were racing through his mind; he just couldn't get one of them to come out.

I decided that I couldn't handle hearing him push me away first, so I jumped right on in to cut him off at the pass.

"I'm sorry, Trent. I'm sorry I surprised you with this, I'm sorry for the kiss, I'm sorry for the lap dance … I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable. I'll stay away from the Lawndale house and your gigs from now on so that this doesn't have to be weird for you," I said in a dead voice as I wrapped my protective shell of stoicism around myself again.

"When the fuck did you turn into a stripper Daria!" Trent yelled at me, unable to stay deflated any longer. "I thought you were going to school and moving on with your future. What the hell are you doing to your life, to yourself? I can smell the booze on you, and the cigarettes, what else are you doing to destroy yourself, huh?"

As he asked that last question, Trent grabbed at my arm and pushed the sleeve of my sweater up; I suppose he was looking for track marks, and the insinuation sickened me to my core so I pulled away in a rage.

"Don't you dare judge me! I am going to school, I AM going places. So what if I strip occasionally to help pay for it; as I recall, you've done some things for money too that you aren't proud of. I have debts, Trent. I need to eat and have my own roof over my head. We can't all just sleep our problems away," I spat out that last one, knowing it was a low blow, but I didn't care. I didn't like the accusations that had just been thrown my way, or by association the other compassionate women back in the club who were just trying to earn a living. They didn't deserve his judgment either.

"Writing a crappy jingle here and there is not on the same level with getting naked for a room full of strangers. How could you do this to … yourself? You need to stop this right now. You're DARIA for Christ's sake. I thought you had standards; that you were above this base crap. You're too naive to be doing this …"

"Hold it right there. You have no right to tell me what I should and should not do. You know me pretty well Trent, I'll give you that we have gotten to know each other better after working on lyrics together, but you don't know me well enough if you just made that statement. A little inexperienced, perhaps, but I have not now nor have I ever been 'naive'; I've just been really good at keeping myself under control. I'm finally letting that side of me come out, and if I happen to charge people money to watch it's my choice. Why do you care anyway? I already apologized for messing with you, so why haven't you left to go find the guys and take off yet?"

"I told them to leave without me, I didn't want them to stick around and see this conversation. Is that what you were doing in there? Toying with me?," I could actually see the anger rolling off of him. I had never seen him react with this much force over anything before, not even when some guy called Jane a slut to his face. This Trent scared me, and I was too tired and emotionally drained to deal with this right now.

"No, I wasn't toying with you, at least that wasn't the intent behind my actions in there … I just figured you saw it that way. That's why I said that."

"Then tell me, what was your intent Daria?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"Can we just call this whole night a joke between friends that went horribly wrong, and forget it ever happened?" I pleaded.

"I don't think so," he softened a bit as he continued, "I mean it's not like I would ever think of stripping for and then kissing Jesse and he's my best friend. So try again; what was your intent?"

_I've already put so much of myself at risk tonight, what could it possibly hurt if I told him the truth?_

"Trent, my intent was to be selfish for once in my life and try to tempt my tempter. I'll admit that it wasn't the best way to deal with whatever it is we might have, but I came up with it on the fly since I didn't know you'd be here. Once again, I'm sorry for this whole thing."

At that moment, my cab pulled up to the curb. I let out a huge sigh of relief as I opened the door and started to say what might be my last goodbye to Trent. Suddenly though I heard the opposite car door open, and I looked up to see Trent gripping the hood of the cab with white knuckles on his hands.

"Trent, what are you doing?

He lowered a lazy glare on me from across the car. I got the impression he was trying hard not to loose his temper, but I guess that would be difficult if your temper has only flared up a handful of times in one's life. Usually, Trent is just too laid-back to care enough to get a rise out of him.

"I'm going with you. This conversation is not over."


	10. Chapter 10

**May 22****nd****, 12:53 PM**

"So when did this start?"

Trent's voice knocked me out of my mental escape. The whole cab ride back to the vacant apartment had been awkward; we both sat as far apart as we could and stared out the windows. I spent the whole ride reviewing my last time up on stage in my head like a treasured home movie of an event that would never happen again. The lust, the connection, feeling like I was only dancing for him, the kiss; all of it flashed through my mind as I prepared to be left with nothing but those last pleasant memories. I thought these thoughts and nothing else as I mechanically threw some cash at the cab driver when we got to my building. On auto-pilot I walked up the stairs, unlocked the door and walked over to flop down on the couch where I was currently located.

"What?"

"Stripping, when did you start stripping?" Trent asked in a frustrated but calm tone of voice. He had taken up a spot across from me on the wall, leaning up against it in a manner that left me wondering if he planned to embed himself into the drywall.

"Oh. Well I started as a waitress there off-and-on eight months ago, but I started dancing there about six months back. Actually," I laughed half-heartedly, "my first time was because I gave you what I thought I could spare to get your amp out of the pawn shop. Remember CBGB's? No way would I let you miss that, it was too big. Turns out though that I didn't have as much to spare as I thought, and then I ended up short on my monthly budget for food. I couldn't even buy instant noodles. I thought it would be a one-time thing; something I would never do again."

"So then," he said in a hoarse voice barely above a whisper, "you're saying this is my fault apparently. You didn't have to give me the cash; you've always given me too much Daria …"

"Cut that shit out, it was my fault for not paying attention to my bank account. I'm realistic about this and I know when to take responsibility for my actions. Even if that hadn't happened, I still went back there a month later for another cash flow problem. The place has just become like an emergency bank account for me and I grudgingly go there when I need some desperately. I'm trying to find a better day job and sell some stories but for now I need to pay my rent. Besides, I've never given you enough."

"Huh? What do you mean that you've never given me enough?"

"Credit, Trent, I've never given you enough credit. Maybe if I had given you more trust, credit, openness, honesty, whatever … back when I was fully clothed I wouldn't have let this crush grow to this point …," I paused when I saw Trent raise a questioning eyebrow at me and smirk. "YES! I know now that you knew about my crush then. Anyway, if I had dropped my shell and given you a chance to rebuff me then we wouldn't be here. I wouldn't be throwing myself at you naked in front of a room full of people … just to be rejected because you're repulsed by me."

Trent shook his head quickly before saying "Is that what you think? Daria I wasn't repulsed by you. I don't think I've ever wanted anyone more than I wanted you tonight. You were grinding down on my lap hard enough to feel that for a fact."

I felt my stomach do a back flip when he brought up that particular memory. I shook my head to try and dislodge the distraction.

"No, that was for the stripper whom you didn't know. As soon as that wig was off, you didn't even want to look at me."

This blank statement was the truth in my mind, but apparently it really pissed off Trent. He abruptly became Angry Trent again and stepped away from the wall, shouting at me as I continued to lie on the couch.

"What the fuck was I supposed to do Daria? It just stunned me! There I am one minute with some anonymous woman that is looking at me like she'll ride me raw right there, and the next with someone I had to tell myself for years that I couldn't touch!"

He stopped and we stared at each other, both of us knowing exactly what he had just admitted.

_Ok then, that clears up a few lingering questions. So he does, or at least did, have a thing for me. His issue was my age? That can't be right because I've been legal for a over a year now; there has to be more to it than that._

"I'm 19 now and I know you know that because you helped Jane with my birthday party. Trent, I'm not a kid anymore."

"Well obviously, and you seem to have no problem showing that fact off," grumbled Trent. I chose to ignore that barb, even though it hurt.

"You once told me that if I were older, you would want to date me. I always figured that you said it as a joke, but now it brings up a good point if you really feel that way. I'm a few years older now, aren't I? If you have … or used to have … those kinds of feelings for me … you haven't acted on them yet. How many 19 year-old groupies have you slept with so far this year? How many 18 year-olds? When am I going to be old enough for you to make a move?" I asked earnestly.

Trent started to grab at the back of his neck like it was an anchor. It gave me a chance to check out his gangly arms and the new tattoos sprinkled in with the old; his arms were really just a momentary place for me to keep my gaze so that I didn't have to look him in the eyes anymore.

"I know you're not a kid, but it's still complicated. You're doing well in school and, up until tonight anyway, I thought you had a nice stable life here. I didn't want to screw that up by trying to get you involved with me. Mystik Spiral is just starting to gain a good-sized following and we are all over the place, and when I am at home I'm still hours away from you. Even if we managed to get together Daria, I'm not made of stone and I've screwed things up in past relationships because of the temptations surrounding the band. I couldn't bear it if I hurt you, and musicians almost always hurt their girls one way or another. Even knowing now that you sideline as a stripper, you still deserve nothing but complete devotion, support, and respect from whomever you end up with."

"When did you become so god-damn gallant?" I huffed with contempt. Looking back up into his eyes I saw the hurt sweep across his face as he turned away from me.

_Good one Daria, show him you care by belittling his heartfelt declaration that you deserve better. All either of us are doing tonight seems to be hurting each other. I don't need this stress, I've already had enough tonight to trigger a heart attack._

I pulled myself up off the couch with a sigh and walked over into the open kitchen. Pulling out a lowball glass from the cabinet, I got out the chilled bottle of vodka from the freezer and poured myself a double.

Trent had followed me, and was now leaning against the doorway with one hip jutting out while watching me with a dark air about him.

"You want a drink?"

"No," he replied a little irritably, "and I don't want you to have one either. How much have you already had tonight? I don't think it's good for you to be drinking this much."

_Who the hell does he think he is? I've seen him try to play his guitar backwards because he was too high to figure out which way it was supposed to point, and he's telling me how much alcohol I can handle? I'm a college student; doesn't he know that learning how to handle my liquor is part of the curriculum?_

"There you go again, talking about what YOU think is best for ME. You're not my brother you know, and you don't even care when Jane does get blitzed. So why do I get the lectures? Don't drink, don't smoke, are you on drugs, don't strip, you weren't ready for a relationship, dating a musician is a bad idea, you deserve to be respected, blah, blah, blah …"

I don't know what got into me right then but instead of drinking my vodka I picked up the glass and slammed it into the sink, shattering it before tossing Trent a look that was nothing but my frustrated years of lust mixed with rage.

"You want to respect me, fine. But I can't FUCK your respect, Trent."


	11. Chapter 11

***Author's Note*-** Sorry about the last line of chapter 10. Have you ever had something memorized or in your head when you are writing something, and then when you review your work you read something that isn't there because it's up in your head? Yeah, that's what was happening. It's a frequent occurrence with me and I apologize. I fixed it, it should say what I meant it to say now, so go read that again and feel free to PM me if you still aren't sure what it means. It made sense to me when I wrote it, but I am a twisted little cruller after all.

**May 22****nd****, 1:20 PM**

_Who the hell are you and what have you done with my old shy, stoic persona? Did I really just tell Trent that I can't fuck his respect?_

After that outburst, I turned away from Trent's hanging jaw and felt myself blush from my scalp to my toes. Staring into the sink, watching my high-end but ill-gotten alcohol flow down the drain, I waited for his response. And waited. And waited.

"Do I need to grab a book or something," I asked, getting worried by a silence that had gone on too long.

Coming to his senses, Trent closed his month finally but continued to stare at me like he had never seen me before. I didn't blame him.

"Daria, I'll admit that I've been going about this all the wrong way. But I'm not alone in that. You could have said something too you know. If you don't want my respect why haven't you just thrown yourself at me before like all of the other skanks that flock to us after the shows?"

As he spoke in a voice that was like ice, Trent moved towards me in way that was both languorous and predatory at the same time.

_He looks like that lion I saw at the zoo once stalking by the cage, just itching to jump out and eat one of us kids. _

Trent continued to walk towards me in a way that I was not sure if I feared or craved. My heartbeat pounding in my ears, he kept getting closer and closer and I suddenly felt the need to back up from his approach. Cornering me against the counter, he put both hands on either side of my head and leaned in until his face was mere inches away from mine.

"Well? You are obviously not the person I've been thinking you were, so why didn't YOU make the first move and get it over with? You seemed brave enough tonight."

_Damn, when did he get so intimidating? Screw caution, it's gotten me nothing for years; if I stand any chance of repairing our friendship or moving forward into something more it's time for the bold-faced truth._

"Tonight sorta was my first move Trent," I said with as much conviction as I could muster. "Besides I still am the same person you've always known, but I'm also this person too. There are always going to be parts of people that you haven't seen before, just like how I've never seen this side of you before. And if you recall, I never said I didn't want your respect …"

"God damn it! Just what do you want from me Daria?!?!" Trent growled at me through gritted teeth, becoming obviously upset but not moving an inch away from my face.

_Artists_. _So damn dramatic. Diffuse the situation quick Morgendorffer._

I acted on impulse, and instead of flinching away from Trent's anger I stood up on my tiptoes and grazed a feather light kiss on Trent's lips. Apparently, not only was I going to have to make the first move, but also the second as well. I could see his face make the slight shift from furry to hunger, and I figured it was time to spell it all out for him. Subtlety was not going to be anyone's friend here tonight, and I was tired of dragging this whole thing out into one long perpetual "what if".

"I want you to see me as I actually am, not the idealized me that you have created. I want you to get over this Madonna-Whore complex you seem to have with me and realize that this isn't an 'either or' situation; I can be both at the same time. I want to know if you can accept that you can touch me now, but I'm still that same person you've known for years. I want the chance to get over my own idolization that I created of you by getting into something real, not just my day-dreams of you. I want… you… both of us … to stop fighting this, Trent. I want you."

I could see something break behind Trent's eyes my last murmured word. I watched as he closed his eyes and breathed what looked like a giant sigh of relief. I sensed his right hand vacate its spot on the cabinet door next to my head, and then felt Trent's rough palm as he slid it gently against the back of my neck. With the caution of a surgeon, he leaned those extra few inches between us and began to pepper my face with kisses. My forehead, my nose, each of my closed eyelids, both of my cheeks, my jaw line; each chaste little press of his lips made me breathe in a sharp intake of air in anticipation as he deftly avoided my mouth. Not being able to stand his teasing anymore, I reached up with a vise like grip to grab his face between my hands and forced his mouth to meet mine.

_Trent's kisses were beautiful and sweet, but they were also too cautious and meek. We had just gone through years of cautious and meek; I think we could both handle more. _

In the meeting of our lips, something that has happened millions of times before between millions of people; it suddenly felt like we had invented the move. It just felt like it was too new to be so old. I sensed it as something in me snapped, and this breaking released some sort of creature with a mind of her own. She came out to play, reaching out to squeeze him even closer when Trent began to press himself against me. Both of his hands tangled into my hair as we attacked each other's mouths for a long while, but then I was unpleasantly surprised when he pulled his face back from mine to pant for breath.

"Daria … what, what are we doing? Where is this going to go?"

I rolled my eyes at him and pressed my lips back to his in an attempt to quiet him.

"Trent I can't believe you're making me say this to you, but you need to think a little less right now."

I pushed him back out of the kitchen and into the living room, and came at him with an intensity that I hoped matched his "lion stare" from earlier. I ripped my sweater up over my head in one amazingly quick motion before reaching up to grab the back of his head and press his face once again to mine. Pulling him with me, I walked backwards (admittedly, in a clumsy manner) and knocked over an end table with a lamp on it on my way to the couch. This time, both of us flopped on it as Trent pulled his jacket off to reveal his black wife-beater underneath. I worked my lips and teeth on his ear and neck, bringing these amazing little sounds from Trent's mouth as we pushed ourselves onto each other.

_I could listen to him make those noises all day … _

The pressure of Trent's body as he lay over me was having a beyond words effect on me. We continued to kiss, bite, and taste each other to the point that neither of us could breathe anymore. Gasping for breath, I reached down and pulled his undershirt over his head and ran my hands down his torso as he looked at me with those dark brown eyes that have haunted me for years.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do this without feeling like I'm going to be in trouble," Trent grunted as he ran his hands down to cup my ass through my jeans.

"Who says you aren't going to be in trouble? I can think of a few things we can do that are still illegal in some states," I laughed as his eyes grew wide.

_I guess he wasn't expecting me to be that up front, but it feels like we've been playing this game for years now and both of us could use some … release._

"Daria, exactly just how far were you hoping to go tonight?"

_Why is it that I can write a complete and thoroughly detailed explanation of reproduction mechanisms in biology, but around him I lose it? _

I felt myself blush again, particularly embarrassed that I couldn't just come out and say it considering how forward I have already been tonight. I couldn't speak and since I was feeling a bit coy, I decided to show him just how far I was hoping to go tonight. I ran one of my hands already on his chest over his ribcage, down his stomach, and lifted an eyebrow as I unfastened the button of his pants. Disbelief washed over Trent's features in an instant.

"Daria, it's been a while since my last test ... I didn't bring anything, I mean I don't carry around a con… god this is harder to talk about with you than I ever imagined," he said in the most embarrassed way I've ever seen him. He lowered his forehead to rest on mine and closed his eyes tight as he continued, "We better slow down … even though that's the last thing I want right now …"

"Trent, are you under the belief that I am too 'naive' to stock any prophylactics in the apartment? There just happens to be a stash of condoms in the bathroom."

He gaped at me as if I had just told him I was really an alien love goddess. In a flash, he was sitting and pulling my body up as well. In no time at all, I felt his rough hands tear my t-shirt over my head and expertly unfasten my bra in nanoseconds.

_So all it takes to get this boy moving fast is to either piss him off or offer sex. "Typical man," Ms. Barch would say._

Trent stood up from the couch, and I began to pull off my combat boots to make the removal of my pants easier. I didn't even get my heel lifted out of the bottom when Trent's long fingers wrapped around my wrist and stopped me.

"Leave the boots on, loose everything else," he commanded while leaning over me.

_Holy mother of …_

I couldn't even finish that thought before Trent scooped me up into his arms. Wrapping my legs around his waist he half carried me, half slammed me into the walls of the hallway as we began again to make out with a sense of urgency. Eventually we made it to the bathroom, and after retrieving the box of condoms from under the sink we made our way further down the hall towards my bedroom.

It was only five more steps, but we didn't even make it to my doorway.


	12. Chapter 12

***Author's Note***

Sorry peeps, I have not abandoned you or the story line. I'm just in the middle of some major wildfires right now and had to book it to stay with some friends out of harm's way for a while. I'm a volunteer to help move animals to safe zones, so I'm busy like you wouldn't believe and barely have time to be online. Just thought I'd finally get this out to you to tide you over (it's a little rough, didn't have the time or concentration to really edit it yet), don't know when I'll be back.

**May 23****rd****, 10:38 AM**

Sunday morning daylight sliced into the bedroom, and cut an unfortunate path right across my face.

_God I need some real curtains in here, these threadbare things aren't giving me that 'cave of doom' feeling I need to sleep in late._

It took me a moment to groggily come around to being fully awake. It took another few seconds to remember why I was waking up with an arm tossed over my naked chest. Smiling to myself, I stretched and looked over at Trent who was still completely knocked out; sleeping on his stomach with his face turned towards me.

_I wonder how long he'll sleep today? He sleeps over twelve hours a day even when he hasn't done anything physically taxing, so last night just might have been enough to send him into a coma._

That first round had been amazing. We both had these repressed urges and feelings for each other for so long that the release was raw, fast, and bordering on the edge of violent. It was almost like a fight where you did know if you wanted to be the winner or the loser because both sides tend to get theirs when the weapon of choice is sex; or perhaps it was more like a competition. Considering the pushes, bites, licks, shoves, hair pulls, tongue tricks, even a few face slaps … I'd say we tied in ability.

_I think I might have a slight edge in winning though considering Trent's utter shock. To him it was astonishing that I not only thought about those things but had some skill in pulling it all off, so that makes me the victor due to a surprise attack, right?_

After we had collapsed in a pile, trying to catch our breath and unable to say anything, we just laid on the floor of the hallway staring into each other's eyes. For a long time it felt like if either of us moved or spoke it would break the spell and it would all disappear. Eventually we got up and took a long shower together, gently and reverently washing each other till the water ran cold.

_I was on such an endorphin high that I didn't even notice the water was icy until I was shivering and Trent's lips turned a little blue. I had no idea it was so easy to get lost in someone like that …_

Round two had been a surprise for me, never knowing that a guy could have sex more than once in twenty-four hours before. We had been lying in bed talking after the shower; we really needed to clear up some things from our past. I gathered that he had believed, or was at least in denial about the real world, that I was still a virgin despite my dating history. When that came up we decided that we needed to hash out our partner histories; he had a visibly pained reaction when I explained the despair that had led to my first time and that it had been Tom while I tried real hard not to wall myself back up as his list hit the double digits.

_I'm glad we got that all out and that he handled it well. I was afraid considering his earlier reactions tonight that he might lose it again, so I really didn't expect that we would segway from that into how we felt about each other, or that that conversation would lead to a gentler bout of fooling around._

We kept talking until 5:00 AM. The hidden meanings behind past conversations, the little things about each other that were torture to be around, anything and everything we could think of came spilling out. Both Trent's and my eyelids were beginning to flutter closed when we reached out to kiss goodnight (or good morning, whatever), and it had ignited the need in both of us to go again. Yet that time we were half asleep so it had been slow and soft; if the first time had been a roaring fire then the second time had been a slow smoking of the embers. We had worked ourselves into a spooning position, and I reached back to loosely grip Trent's hair while we whispered to each other with every thrust.

_Wow, just thinking about last night is driving me crazy again … stop it, I can't get riled up now … he'll be comatose for most of the day. I on the other hand, will not be able to go back to sleep with the light in my face. Need coffee …_

Trying to slide out from under Trent's arm, I soon found myself thwarted as a hand grabbed my waist and pulled me back to the bed. At first I felt my eyes bulge, thinking that there was no way he could go again. Three times in a span of 9 hours was not humanly possible, right? Trent just nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck and stilled, breathing heavily with sleep once again.

"Trent?" I questioned, not entirely sure that he was really awake.

"Mmmph."

"You can stay in bed but I need caffeine and if you make me choose between the two of you, you will not be happy with the result." I laughed gently in his ear before I kissed his cheek.

"Mmmph," was his only response, but at least this time he didn't fight me when I tried to get up and toss on my robe.

Stopping in the bathroom first, I took out the contacts that I had forgotten to remove last night and did an inventory of what was in the mirror.

_Well, I'm definitely not looking my best this morning. Glad that he isn't going to be waking up to this; red eyes with bags under them, swollen lips, seriously messed up hair, and I think one side of my face is a little red from his stubble burn. We just might have to go a little easy next time … or focus on the other side._

Finally making it to the kitchen and surviving the wait for the coffee pot to finish brewing, I poured a cup only to be interrupted by the frantic pounding on the door accompanied by some liberal use of the doorbell. Seeing that it was only 10:00 AM I contemplated calling the super or the cops, but then I heard Jane's voice yelling through the door to open up.

_CRAP! Not ready for this conversation, not ready at all._

Opening the door I looked sheepishly at my friend who had a guilty, repentant look on her face.

"DARIA!" Jane exclaimed as she studied my face. "Have you been crying? I'm so, so, so sorry. I tried calling you but you didn't answer, so I decided to come prostrate myself before you and ask for your forgiveness. I honestly had no idea how badly Trent would blow up."

"Umm, how did you know what happened? I couldn't get through to you last night no matter how many times I called …" I maneuvered to block the doorway, hoping that Jane wouldn't rush in the apartment.

"Trent called me last night after your big reveal. He chewed my ass out for almost an hour; asking things like if this was something the both of us planned and if there was anything else sordid going on in your life. I explained to him that this was completely my set up, my last-ditch effort to push you two together. I was about to tell him that other than the stripping you practically lived like a nun, but he just all of a sudden disconnected me. No 'Go to Hell Jane' or anything …"

_I think it's time to let Yenta dangle in the wind for a bit, I like this groveling._

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's when I finally came out of the club and he spotted me. He started yelling at me, and at one point insinuated that I might be a drug addict. He really freaked out the bouncer; Eddie thought that Trent might hurt me."

"That son of a bitch yelled at you!?!? I'll kick his ass if he hurt you Daria, just say the word!"

"Actually Jane, I was really more hurt by this set-up than anything. I trusted you with something about myself that I really didn't want to get out there; yet now not only has your brother seen me dance but all of the guys from Spiral have watched me as well. I don't know if I can ever face any of them again, I just ran when I saw them coming over to talk to me."

"Fuck, Daria, there's nothing I can really say to apologize for this, huh?"

"Nope, last night will be forever burned into my brain."

_As the best god damn night of my life! Now if I can get you to leave I'll prolong that into the best day as well…_

"Hey Jane? I know you're really concerned and all, but I'm not going to pull a Sylvia Plath over this. I'd really like some alone time right now."

"I'll only give you your space if you tell me right now that I can fix this. That our friendship might be shaken right now but that it isn't in danger. If that died, I don't know what I'd do. We've worked out our issues before; please tell me we can work this out too."

_Wow, she looks like she's about to cry. Now I almost feel a little bad about letting her sweat … almost. Might as well let her twist another moment or two longer for all of those years of torture._

"Jane, I'll always be able to tolerate your presence above all others. Let's meet up tomorrow and we'll talk about this more, ok?

Jane was about to respond with a what looked like a statement of relief but she froze midsentence, suddenly very distracted by whatever was going on behind me.

Checking over my shoulder, I saw a zombified Trent walk out of the hallway towards the fridge. He was wearing nothing but the bed sheet that he held in place wrapped around his waist. Trent grabbed a bottle of water before walking back obliviously down the hallway. With half-lidded eyes he glanced at the door and managed to say "Hi Janey. Daria, come back to bed, please? Bring a book or something; I just want you there with me" in his raspy voice before stumbling blindly back into the bedroom.

I turned back to face my friend's shocked eyes. Jane was quickly scanning the rest of the room behind me; taking note of the over-turned end table, the couch askew, the picture frames messed up on the wall or even knocked to the floor, and the men's and women's clothing discarded in a trail down the hallway.

A seriously devilish smile spread across Jane's face.

"So tomorrow, pizza sound good? I'll bring a sketch pad; we need to start design work on your big white dress."


	13. Chapter 13

****Author's Notes**** I'm finally back in my own home it didn't burn down thankfully, but some of the people on my street were not as lucky. A lot of us on the neighborhood have been pulling together to help them out now that the fire is gone, so I'm still sapped as far as energy goes. Here is the next chapter for you very patient people!

**May 23****rd****, 10:57 AM**

***Trent's POV***

Something is moving beside me, but that can't be right since it's so early in the morning that what isn't dead is asleep right now. Daria, I remind myself. Daria is this thing moving beside me.

_Oh wait, I forget that there are people who wake up before noon even on weekends. They are called crazy people. Apparently, Daria is one of these crazy people. Better show her how nice it is to just stay in bed …_

Reaching out with my arm that had just been draped over her chest moments before, I just barely managed to grab Daria by her waist as she was getting out of the bed. I pulled her quickly back towards me, and fit my face right between her shoulder and her neck.

_God her hair smells good. Actually, everything smells good about her: her hair, her skin, her sheets, and this apartment. I just want to lay here and breathe her in all day._

Sadly, this was not to be as she soon interrupted me in my attempts to fall back asleep.

"Trent?"

Not yet able to fully form words, I responded with the universal code for 'sleep now, talk later'.

"Mmmph."

"You can stay in bed but I need caffeine and if you make me choose between the two of you, you will not be happy with the result," she whispered into my ear; tickling me in the process as she kissed my cheek.

"Mmmph," is all I can muster to tell her. I could tell I wasn't going to win this fight. A girl never forgets her first love, or so Janey tells me. I can see now that even though my sister and I were convinced that I was Daria's, coffee was her true first love.

_I'll let her slip out of my grasp for now, if I have my way later we won't be able to spend much time out of bed anyway. Shit, we talked so much about the past that we never did talk about "us" and where we are going to go from here last night. Are we a couple now? Friend's with benefits? Or was that a one-night stand that's going to screw everything up between us now. God I hope not …_

Normally I would have fallen back into complete narcoleptic sleep five seconds after a disturbance, but I couldn't stop thinking. I kept hovering in that in-between level of sleep; feeling numb to my body but letting my mind race as I tried to figure out what was going to happen. Those loud ringing and banging sounds were not helping either.

_Is that Daria? Damn she makes a lot of noise in the morning. Maybe I just need some water; I did sweat a lot in our activities last night. My mouth does feel gross; I should try to brush my teeth with my finger or something. I'll try and find the bathroom later when I can open my eyes. I don't think she'll be willing to share a toothbrush just yet, don't know why it would bother her though considering the places her tongue went last night…_

That thought had sent a pleasant shiver through my body. Suddenly, I figured out why I was having a hard time not sleeping again. Having her next to me had just felt right, even when we weren't doing anything. Yet knowing that she was next to me and finally open for something to happen was mind-blowing. I had been treating her like she was porcelain for too long now, like she was a vase behind a glass door on a display shelf. To be looked at but never used.

_But damn sure, we were both used last night. I guess I thought of her as innocent or something but man was I wrong because last night was full of surprises. Where did she learn that one thing? That thing she did to put the condom on me; holy crap I almost came right then and there. I don't even think any of the obviously experienced groupies have done that trick to me before._

If I had been awake enough, my face would have been stuck in the biggest shit-eating grin ever seen but as it was too early so I just half-smiled to myself. Intent on finding Daria and getting some water, I stumbled out of bed in a sleepy fog. Unable to find any part of my clothes, I just pulled the bed sheet around my waist and lumbered down the hallway. Strangely, I could hear Daria talking to someone but decided to just keep on heading into the kitchen. I got my bottle of water and barely managed to glace at Daria and the person she was talking to before heading back down the hallway. Before I left however, my brain impulses snapped and told me to greet this recognizable person at the door.

"Hi Janey. Hey Daria, come back to bed, please? Bring a book or something; I just want you there with me."

_Bed, must get back to bed, I really hope she quits talking with … oh shit. That was my little sister at the door, wasn't it? Huh, I guess I'll have to apologize for yelling at her and thank her later. I may have never worked up the courage to get Daria on my own._

I flopped back onto the bed, took a giant swig from the water bottle, and attempted to sleep. It wasn't long before I heard the noises of someone moving around, and then felt Daria climb back into the bed beside me.

"So, you just had to go and ruin the torture I was putting Jane through huh?"

"Torture, eh? Sounds like fun, wish I could have helped. Mouth acted on its own free will before brain could catch up. Sorry."

"I'll forgive you, this time. Just promise me that you'll help instead of hinder my torture of your sister the next time she finds us together," Daria stated as she stretched, took a sip of coffee, and settled herself back into her pillows.

"Next time?," I asked hopefully.

"Um, well, I guess we didn't really hash this out yet, huh? I mean, last night was great but I feel like I should be asking 'what now?' I don't know what to expect; I don't want this to turn into something awkward, but I don't want that to be a one-time deal. At the same time though, I don't want to put any pressure on you for anything because we certainly weren't making any promises to each other last night … but with the way our lives are right now I don't see how we can make anything really happen anyway …"

_Is she rambling? I've never heard her ramble before in all the time I've known her. She's frozen up, sure, but never rambled. It's kinda cute. I guess she's still skittish around me, or maybe it's all guys. Either way, I better go at this at her pace or else this could turn out really ugly._

"Daria, last night was whatever you want it to be. It meant a lot to me, and I think you already know that I could never look at you as a casual one-nighter. I'm open to anything you want right now but just so you know, my vote goes behind any option that lets us keep our relationship from getting screwed up. Also, I'll throw my voting power behind any option that lets us continue what happened last night," I said with a smirk as I ran my hand lightly over the skin of her thigh.

As my hand grazed her leg, she closed her eyes and took in a sharp breath. How could the simple act of breathing be so alluring like that? Quickly however, her eyes shot open and she grabbed my hand under the sheet. She didn't force it away, but she didn't let me move it anymore as she put on her 'serious face'.

"We need to focus right now Trent. I agree with you, but what I really want to know is how are we going to do this? We live hours apart from each other for one thing."

"Well you only have a few weeks of classes left, and then you'll be home for three months, right?"

"Uh, actually … um, Jane didn't tell you anything about her plans for the summer?"

"Nope, or if she did she said it when I wasn't paying attention. Why, what's up?"

_Why am I not liking where this seems to be going?_

"I … I mean Jane and I … we're staying in Boston this summer. She's going to move in here to share my room and Trix's boyfriend is moving in to her room. If we split the rent four ways it will really help us all save some major cash for the next school year. I already arranged for extra hours at work, and I found a second job too. I was planning on working my ass to death until classes start so that I wouldn't have to worry so much when school work gets in the way of my day job. I'll be exhausted, but I won't have to dance as frequently as I do now. Hopefully I'll be able to stop completely if I can build up enough of a savings cushion."

_Shit, shit, shit. Not only is she still going to be a road trip to see, but her place is going to be full of people. One of which is my little sister, who will be sleeping in the same damn room, and from the sound of it her work schedule is going to be packed. But if she won't have to get naked in front of a room full of strange guys anymore … _

"Oh … that's smart. I guess its way too early for me to ask to move in with huh?" I laugh-hacked.

Panic swept Daria's face, and I laughed even harder.

"Hey don't worry; I said it was too early. Besides, things are going great right now for Mystik Spiral. I can't leave the band behind right now and I know that not all of them can afford, or really want to, move to Boston anyway."

"It's not that I don't want it, it's just that I don't want to force anything right off the bat. We've known each other for a long time now and last night just felt sorta like the culmination to a relationship neither of us knew we were in, you know? Like we jumped over all the beginnings and dove into the more serious stuff."

I knew exactly what she was saying, because I felt the same way. Maybe not in the same way she just said it, but I had this feeling of dread that maybe in skipping things like 'dating' and getting to know a different side of each other in a romantic way might lead this to becoming just one crazy night instead of something more.

"So then, we take it slow, keep to our normal relationship, and just see how things go?"

"Well," she blushed, "hopefully not completely keep everything the same. I couldn't kiss you then. Let's just keep things as-is, but if it feels right and we have time let's do something. It's not like I'll never be in Lawndale or have a weekend off over the summer you know. Let's just keep things relaxed and we'll talk about a commitment when we are ready for it."

_But what if I'm ready now?_

It was all that I was going to get out of her, for now. I gave a big sigh but pulled it into a smile before she could see how crestfallen our situation was making me. I think she saw it anyway, and she gave me a sad little smile and then leaned over to kiss me. I held her back for a moment and I instantly saw a hard look cross her face.

"Hold up, I've got some terrible morning breath right now," I explained with a smile.

Her face softened with relief before she rolled her eyes up at me from behind her glasses.

"And my mouth is the font of Chanel No. 5? I don't care, just kiss me."

I couldn't deny that I wanted to kiss her, hell I'd kiss her even if she had a mouthful of feta cheese and raw garlic right now, so I complied with her demand and lowered my mouth to meet hers.

_I don't care if she says we need to keep things relaxed for now. If she's willing to kiss me before I brush my teeth, in my mind we're a couple now. I've just got to wait on her to realize that._


	14. Chapter 14

Hey peeps,

I know, I know. I promised more. I had the first 5 chapters ready for the next story of the series, not to mention an epiolog for this story. Then, laptop crash. Tragic, tragic loss of many hours of thesis work not to mention my fanfics. Then, when I got back around to writing stories again, my Daria muse left me. Wasn't in the mood to rehash these stories. I'm getting back to work on them though, so bear with me. Your patience will be rewarded. Pinky swear!


	15. Chapter 15

**July 29****th****, 2:37 P.M.**

_What the hell am I doing here? And how the hell did Jane manage to con me into wearing this dress?_

Here was a bright and sunny Saturday in Lawndale. I had managed by some miracle to get a couple days off from work and pulled into town late Wednesday night. Even though we haven't seen each other in two weeks, Trent was still too busy with all the preparations to take a minute to come by and see me.

_I'm not sure how I feel about that._

We tried to keep things casual, or at least I tried to anyway, but things were already getting more serious that I ever really wanted way too fast. Even after our first night together and we agreed to just see where things went, it already felt like a real relationship. Trent had stayed with me most of the day, and he hinted so heavily that he wanted to stay another night that it was almost begging till I reminded him that I had classes Monday morning and he had a gig in Lawndale that night.

_Even then, he called me about half an hour into his journey home. Then he called me when he got home. He called me again to say goodnight when he knew that I was most likely going to bed._

After that we called each other at least once a day, and no longer were we using the pretense of working on Spiral songs. Nearly every weekend he had come to Boston, or I had gone back to Lawndale. We tried to have regular dates, we really did. We made plans to go to movies, small local concerts, eat out, but the second we saw each other standing in our respective doorways …

_Well, maybe not that exact second. We almost made it to the movie that last time. Halfway there before we pulled the car over and didn't come up for air until long after the movie theater would have closed for the night still counts as a date, right? I don't know, everything just feels like it's all happening way too fast._

I was hiding now. I just couldn't stand being around so many people I didn't know; or being around the ones that I did. I found a room upstairs in this place, a beautiful old house that was kept as historical landmark here in Lawndale and was rented out for events. Events like the wedding that was supposed to be starting any minute right outside.

"Knock knock," Jane chirped from the doorway as she entered the room.

"Go away Lane, this is a privet pity-party."

"No see, that's where you've got it all wrong. The party is downstairs and outside, where you are supposed to be right about now showing off your ability to be scathing without anyone knowing."

"I only know a handful of people out there, and the ones I know I haven't seen since …"

"Since you let them see more of you than your doctor does?"

I had refused, on the several occasions that Trent or Jane asked, to meet up with the guys or go to any Mystik Spiral concerts since the night I had stripped in front of the band. I could tell that Trent was a little hurt that I wasn't doing the adoring girlfriend thing of waiting by the stage for him, but just the thought of facing the boys made me nearly have a panic attack. I still worked on Spiral songs for the band, but I avoided any contact with anyone in the group besides Trent for the past two months.

"Which I still haven't forgiven you for entirely by the way."

"Even though it led to you and my brother finally behaving like sex-starved bunnies injected with aphrodisiacs?"

"I just can't go out there Jane. I had only recently started to get Nick's, Jesse's, and Max's respect as someone who actually existed … and now? I don't know what they think of me after that, and I'm not entirely sure that I want to know."

"Come on Daria," Jane said as she sat down on the couch next to me, "why do you even care? You've never cared what anyone has thought of you or your life before. Besides, you've been on tour with these guys. We have spent a complete calendar month living in a cramped van and an occasional shared motel room with these openly gross boys. You have seen, and smelled, things that can cause hysterical blindness in the average mind. You have nothing to be embarrassed about in front of them."

"I'm still thinking of stealing your car keys and staging the great escape back to Boston before the ceremony starts."

"Well you know what? Tough. Today isn't about you, it's about Jesse and April and us getting to make fun of their wedding in barely hushed voices. Don't hold out on me now."

_Damnit, I hate it when she makes more sense than me. Good ol' Jane, always looking at the big picture._

"I don't know," I wavered, "can I at least go home and change? This dress you forced me into isn't exactly going to help with the 'I want to be taken seriously, don't think of me as a stripper' impression I should be going after."

She had come over this morning and kidnapped me after Trent left to help Jesse set up the sound system for the wedding. Separated from my clothes, the only option she gave me was to go naked or put on this dress.

_Dress, ha. The paper dress they give you at the doctor's office covers more than this thing._

I wanted to kill her all over again, and I had so many reasons to with this dress. It was strapless. It had the sugary-sweet sweetheart neckline. The bodice was corset with a provocative lace up back that showed way more skin than I was comfy with. It was so tight that if I weighed five more pounds I would pop a seam. It was shorter than anything I had ever worn in my life. Oh and I forgot to mention it was in the most glaringly attention-grabbing red I had ever seen?

"What, you don't like the dress? I gave you that other option … and seeing as how the only people here that you know have already seen you naked I guess it wouldn't be such a crazy choice if you decided to go that way," she mockingly said as she looked like she was deeply considering that option.

"No, I like it fine. It just screams 'hey boys pull down your zippers and whip out a fiver, this girl's trading up from being a stripper to a whore'."

"Aw sweetie, you're at least worth a tenner, maybe even twenty bucks a lay on a good day I'm sure. So, you consider prostitution a trade up from stripping?"

"Well, you know, there's just a lot less work. Stripping involves dancing and performing. Becoming a call girl basically involves just a lot of lying down and moaning at the right intervals. Besides, who could say no to the extra spice of life that is STDs? I hear that penicillin tastes just like candy."

All of a sudden, I heard a hacking laugh/cough coming from around the doorway and my blood ran cold. Jane looked over at me and smiled apologetically before calling out to the empty doorway.

"Trent," she chastised as he came around the corner and entered the room with a smirk on his face, "how long have you been standing there listening in on our privet conversation?"

"Long enough to know that I better start coming by to see my girlfriend more often if I want to prevent her from turning to a life of hooking to get her kicks."

_Crap, he used the 'g' word. I hope he didn't notice me flinch when he said it, but from the way Jane is looking at me I know that she did. Crap._

"Emily Dickenson here doesn't want to come out of the room, so I give up. I'm going to go back downstairs to grab a drink and make fun of Jesse's family. I tried my best, but maybe you know some little trick to convince her that would be inappropriate for me to try? Hopefully, wildly inappropriate?"

Before I could say anything she bolted for the other side of the room, tossed me a wink, and pulled the door shut behind her leaving Trent and me alone. Alone for the first time in two weeks.

"You know," he said as he looked at me from under his eyebrows and walked slowly closer to the couch, "they don't give penicillin orally for STDs. It's an injection."

"Oh fun, I've always wanted to be stuck with needles as a result of a sex act."

He chuckled lowly as he sat down next to me and buried his nose in my hair next to my ear.

"Kinky, Daria," he nearly whispered.

"Should I be impressed or deeply, deeply worried that you know that information by the way?"

"Let's go with neither. It's not from personal experience, but I am in a band with a bunch of horny guys who don't always think before they act Daria. I've learned things."

"You know of course that now that you've brought this up, you need to tell me who does exactly have personal experience with the business end of needle, right?"

He shook his head and sighed before pulling back and looking me in the eye.

"Can we not talk about venereal disease right now? I haven't seen you in weeks and now that I have a moment alone with you … in that dress …," he trailed off for a bit as his hand that had been on my knee slowly drifted upwards, "I'd really rather not think about that topic. It's kind of a mood killer."

"Considering the fact that your little sister is my roommate and makes her presence known before she leaves us alone, I didn't think that you found any topic to be a mood killer," I grinned at him as I stopped his hand from its attempt at going up my skirt and he pouted like a child.

"Daria, it's a wedding and I'm the best man. The best man is supposed to get lucky at weddings …"

"Yeah, with the maid of honor. I can go grab her for you if you want; her snaggletooth was really fetching and went well with that rat-looking dog that she keeps in her purse."

"So, you're actually willing to leave this room then?"

_Damn him, he trapped me._

"I don't know. I don't know how I'm supposed to act around the band now, or how they are going to act around me."

"Daria, I promise you, they don't think any less of you. You're actually kinda their hero now. Did you know that they had bets going about us? Over who would be the first to make a move, when it would happen, and how it would actually happen? They all thought it would be me, and they all thought it would happen at a one of our concerts or us writing together. You blew their minds, and mine, and completely torpedoed the betting pool. Janey cleaned them out."

"So … they aren't planning on giving me a hard time?"

"Of course they are. They are guys in a band, a band that you have constantly ragged on from the first day you heard us. They now have a chance to rib on you a little bit, and they are gonna go for it. But it won't be forever, and eventually we'll all get over it. Just promise me something."

"Ok … do the guys want me to start bringing strippers to the Mysik Spiral concerts or something?"

"Hey, that might not be such a bad idea. But no, that's not it."

He stood up and held out his hand, and when I took it he started to lead me outside. To face them. To make my secret work life crash into my social life. Before I could ask what he wanted me to promise him he pinned me up against the door jamb and kissed me deeply. It wasn't the type we normally shared this time though. It was soft, gentle caresses of his lips. It was sweet instead of passionate. It was …

… _loving. Too fast … too fast … but damn … so good …_

"Just promise me that if Max corners you later on and asks for a lap dance, you'll kick him in the balls. You're not wearing your boots, so you won't sterilize him, but I'm guessing those pointy looking things won't feel good."

"I can try it on you first if you like, just to make sure," I smiled evilly at him.

"Once again I say, kinky, but maybe later," he leered at me.

"Maybe, if you're lucky," I teased. He gazed into my face with a look that felt just like the earlier kiss, which amazed me since we weren't even touching at this point.

"Daria, I already am."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Ok, so this isn't exactly what I had written before as an epilog, but its pretty close. I don't think it's a good as my previous one that was lost in the catastrophic laptop crash mentioned in the last chapter, but it covered the points I had made in that chappie and I was still able to dredge up some of the lines I thought were good from my brain. In a few days I will start re-working my last story in this series called "The Fan", just because I had promised it to you guys before, but I'm not sure I like the third story's premise anymore. That might show up in the re-write. I need to sleep on it.


End file.
